The JSE was flat, up 28 points, in early trade on Thursday amid positive world markets in the wake of an impressive close on Wall Street.

At 9.21am the JSE all share index had inched up 0.11 percent, with resources easing 0.51 percent and gold miners losing 1.33 percent, but platinums were flat, up 0.16 percent.

Banks collected 0.70 percent, financials put on 0.89 percent and industrials edged up 0.37 percent.

The rand was bid at 7.23 to the dollar from 7.26 just before the JSE closed on Wednesday. Gold was quoted at $1056.87 a troy ounce from $1060.60 and ounce just before the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1354 an ounce, from $1355.50 at its previous close.

"We have edged up this morning on world markets, the Dow closed above 10 000 and that is very good," a trader said.

"In the short term, markets are driven by results out of the US. Better results will keep the market going.

"But people are also getting nervous to buy at these levels and we might just see some profit taking among some stocks. Gold stocks are slightly lower, the gold price has come off and there is some profit taking there," she said.

Dow Jones Newswires reports that US stocks rallied on Wednesday, with the DJIA pushing above 10 000 for the first time in a year on better-than- expected quarterly reports from Intel and JPMorgan Chase, and as improved retail sales data lifted Caterpillar and a wave of other industrials.

Since hitting a 2009 closing low of 6547.05 on March 9, the Dow has tacked on 53 percent in the past seven months. For Wednesday, the index closed up 144.80 points, or 1.47 percent, at 10 015.86, marking its biggest one-day gain since August 31. The measure hadn't traded at 10 000 since Oct. 7, 2008, and hadn't closed above 10 000 since October 3, 2008. Still, the index is off 29 percent from its record closing high of 14 164.53 hit on October 9, 2007.

Setting off Wednesday's gains, JPMorgan Chase tacked on 1.50, or 3.3 percent, to 47.16, as its third-quarter earnings surged on strong investment-banking revenue. Earnings from Citigroup and Goldman Sachs are on tap on Thursday, and Bank of America is to report on Friday, with all three firms getting a big boost along with the broader banking sector, thanks to JPMorgan's report. Citi closed up 17 cents, or 3.5 percent, at 5; Goldman rose 5.05, or 2.7 percent, to 192.28; and Bank of America gained 78 cents, or 4.4 percent, to 18.59.

The Standard & Poor's 500 closed up 18.83, or 1.75 percent, to 1092.02, marking its seventh gain in eight days and its biggest one-day point gain since July 23. The index was paced by financials, which closed up 3.4 percent.

Technology was also strong, with the Nasdaq Composite up 32.34, or 1.51 percent, to 2172.23.

Technology was boosted by Intel (Nasdaq), up 34 cents, or 1.7 percent, to 20.83, after posting third-quarter earnings and revenue above Wall Street expectations, with the chip maker also issuing a revenue forecast for the current period above Street views.

Aside from just the earnings reports, stocks also got a lift from a flood of investors continuing to push into all types of riskier assets. Oil prices closed at another high on the year, while the dollar once again finished weaker. Volatility also continued to decline, with the CBOE Volatility Index closing down 0.6 percent at 22.85, and hitting a new 52-week low of 21.55 during the session.

Asian share markets are higher on Thursday after a strong performance by Wall Street, with financial stocks leading and steel stocks aided by a better outlook from South Korea's Posco.

In Japan, the Nikkei ended up 1.8 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng was last up 0.9 percent.

European bourses are set to open mixed as investors look to take some profit ahead of a load of earnings reports and more key data from the US.