Stocks ended 250 points higher on Monday, moving in line with firm world markets amid high earnings expectations which helped the market continue last week's positive trend, a trader said.

At 5pm the JSE all share index had put on 0.99 percent, with resources collecting 0.44 percent. Gold miners edged up 0.24 percent and platinums gained 2.13 percent.

Banks firmed 1.35 percent, financials rose 1.62 percent and industrials were up 1.24 percent.

The rand was bid at 7.30 to the dollar from 7.36 just before the JSE closed on Friday. Gold was quoted at $1056.78 a troy ounce from $1050.30/oz at the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1341/oz, from $1332/oz at its previous close.

At 4.53pm, Brent crude was at $71.35 from a close of $70.

"We closed up on the back of world markets, Europe also picked up," a trader said.

"There are expectations of good company results. There are companies still to come out with results, the expectations are very high and that is supporting the market. If they release disappointing results we may see some profit taking, a case of buy on rumour, sell on fact," he said.

"The rand has also strengthened and that doesn't bode well for these resources. But of course a strong rand means a weak dollar, and that supports the commodity prices," he added.

Dow Jones Newswires reports that a jump in crude oil prices lifted energy stocks, which in turn led a broad-based US stock market rally on Monday morning as investors also looked ahead to this week's earnings reports due from major banks.

The DJIA was recently up 45 points, or 0.5 percent, at 9909.83, off to a promising start to setting a new high for 2009. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.6 percent. All the S&P 500's sectors traded higher, spurring the broad index to a 0.3 percent. The strongest categories were energy, up 1.8 percent; basic materials, up 1.4 percent; and industrials, up 0.9 percent.

Commodity prices drew strength from rising confidence about an economic recovery and a pullback in the dollar as investors grew more aggressive, putting cash they'd previously hoarded to work via market bets. A weak dollar also tends to boost the prices of raw materials because they're traded globally in terms of the US currency.

In recent action, oil futures were up $1.81 to $73.58 a barrel in New York. The broad Dow Jones-UBS Commodity Index was up 2.1 percent, while the US Dollar Index was off 0.5 percent, hurt by declines in the dollar's value against the yen and euro. However, it posted a slight gain versus the British pound.

Stephen Pope, chief global market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, said a weaker dollar is "allowing non-dollar based investors to acquire US assets and 'cheap valuations' when reflected back into their base currency. The S&P 500 is on a price/earnings basis trading at a discount to the MSCI World Index of 23 developing countries."

Though Monday's economic and earnings calendar is light, investors are gearing up for a series of reports in coming days that will offer further details about Wall Street's continued recovery from the credit crisis. Of the banks due to report this week, JP Morgan Chase was recently up 0.4 percent,

Bank of America was up 0.9 percent, Citigroup was up 1 percent, and Goldman Sachs was up 0.4 percent.

The DJIA was last flat, up 0.65 percent.

Among equity movers on the JSE, Anglo American plc was up 1.75 rand to 254.74 rand, but BHP Billiton eased 10 cents to 207 rand.

Petrochemicals group Sasol was down 80 cents to 288 rand.

Paper group Sappi rose 2.39 percent to 27.85 rand and rival Mondi was up 3.32 percent to 40.50 rand.

ArcelorMittal added 1.23 percent to 115 rand and Highveld Steel collected 1.02 percent to 74 rand.

Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti was up 50 cents to 331 rand as was Gold Fields to 109.50 rand, and Harmony inched up 15 cents to 86.40 rand.

Platinum miner Anglo Platinum gained 3.05 percent to 710 rand and Impala Platinum firmed 1.75 percent to 174.50 rand, but Lonmin was down 2.09 percent to 187.50 rand.

Among industrials on the JSE, SABMiller rose 1.13 rand to 188.23 rand and Imperial put on 4.10 percent to 85.05 rand, but British American Tobacco shed 1.37 percent to 227.14 rand.

Banking group Standard Bank added 1.91 percent to 98.50 rand, Nedbank advanced 2.59 percent to 122.51 rand and Absa rose 1.59 percent to 124 rand.

Financial services group Old Mutual put on 3.92 percent to 12.73 rand and Sanlam added two percent to 20.40 rand.

Retailer Spar collected 2.84 percent to 67 rand, Lewis gained 3.63 percent to 56.50 rand and Steinhoff added 4.96 percent to 18 rand, but Clicks weakened 2.57 percent to 22.41 rand.

Construction groups Aveng lost 2.34 percent to 42.95 rand.

Telecommunications group MTN Group was up 95 cents to 127 rand and Telkom gained 3.15 percent to 42.86 rand, but Vodacom weakened 39 cents to 54.01 rand.