After two days of seeing red, the JSE ended firmly in the black on Thursday pushed up by positive sentiment from better-than-expected GDP data out of the US.

At 5pm the JSE all share index had added 1.89 percent, with resources up 2.54 percent and platinum producers firming 3.89 percent, but gold counters shed 1.20 percent.

Banks and financials put on 3.01 percent and 2.39 percent respectively, while industrials collected 0.94 percent.

The rand was bid at 7.74 to the dollar from 7.76 when the JSE closed on Wednesday. Gold was quoted at $1040.45 a troy ounce from $1033/oz just before the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1330.50/oz from $1301/oz at its previous close.

"We were sold off quite a bit these last few days, so it's not surprising that we have picked up," a trader said.

"We picked up on the US GDP data which was above expectation. US stocks are up and that is supporting us too. We are up nicely, with the miners also giving us firm support," she said.

"Gold stocks are the only index in the red," she pointed out.

Dow Jones Newswire reports that US stocks continued moving higher on Thursday morning as news of the US economy expanding in the third quarter for the first time in a year, and by a bigger-than-expected amount, gave investors a jolt of confidence.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently up 90 points, or 0.9 percent, at 9852, after recently trading as high as 9865. If the Dow is able to remain higher through the close, it would snap its recent losing streak, which had the Dow posting three triple-digit losses in four sessions.

The Dow's Thursday gains were led by Alcoa and Procter & Gamble. Alcoa surged 6.6 percent, erasing nearly all of its Wednesday drop, while P&G climbed 3.3 percent as its fiscal first-quarter earnings exceeded its forecasts and the consumer-products giant boosted its sales forecast for the year. Exxon Mobil, however, slid 1.7 percent after missing analysts' earnings expectations for the second straight quarter.

The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent, led by its materials and financial sectors, which rose more than 2 percent each.

Stocks had been in a slump recently as investors focused on disappointing economic data such as the weak housing and durable-goods reports released on Wednesday. The worries sent the CBOE Market Volatility Index, or VIX, surging this week, but it dropped 5 percent in recent Wednesday trading.

When the JSE closed, the DJIA was last up 0.84 percent.

On the JSE, Anglo American plc added 5.91 percent to 295.48 rand and BHP Billiton was up 2.20 percent to 220.91 rand.

Petrochemicals group Sasol rose 1.60 rand to 300.60 rand.

Paper group Sappi added 4.82 percent to 29.35 rand and Mondi firmed 5.85 percent to 43.80 rand.

ArcelorMittal advanced 1.50 percent to 108 rand.

Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti shed 1.92 percent to 300.99 rand, Gold Fields weakened 75 cents to 102.25 rand and Harmony eased 10 cents to 80.80 rand.

Gold Fields earlier reported a 49 percent decline in quarterly headline earnings per share to 64 cents for the three months to end September, from 126 cents in the June quarter.

At 64 cents headline earnings have increased tenfold from the 6 cents reported for the same quarter last year.

The company reported net earnings of R1-billion, a turnaround from the net loss of R293-million reported in the previous quarter and a substantial improvement from the R39-million net profit posted for the quarter to end September 2008.

Production for the quarter at 906 000 ounces was flat from the June quarter, but 13.5 percent up from the 798 000 ounces produced in the September quarter a year ago.

At the South African operations, production decreased marginally from 529 000 ounces to 527 000 ounces.

Platinum miner Anglo Platinum was up 3.79 percent to 685 rand, Impala Platinum gained 4.17 percent to 175 rand and Lonmin was up 3.23 percent to 201.29 rand.

Among industrials on the JSE, brewer SABMiller put on 1.99 rand to 206.94 rand, Famous Brands was up 1.05 percent to 24 rand and Tiger Brands firmed 1.22 percent to 157.40 rand, but Remgro lost 1.28 percent to 91.69 rand.

Banker Standard Bank firmed 3.38 percent to 99.50 rand, Absa was up 2.09 percent to 127 rand and FirstRand advanced 4.07 percent to 17.90 rand.

Financial services group Old Mutual collected 4.01 percent to 14 rand and Sanlam added 1.81 percent to 21.36 rand.

Sugar group Illovo put on 1.01 percent to 35.15 rand.

Media group Caxton was up 4.48 percent to 14 rand.

Retailer Truworths put on 1.33 percent to 45.60 rand and Lewis was up 2.39 percent to 55.60 rand, but Pick n Pay was down 2.96 percent to 40.27 rand and Shoprite declined 1.56 percent to 63 rand.

Liberty International rose 1.53 percent to 59.90 rand.

Construction group Aveng rose 4.49 percent to 40.24 rand and Murray & Roberts advanced 1.63 percent to 55.49 rand.

Telecommunications group MTN Group declined 1.27 percent to 116.50 rand and Vodacom weakened 1.37 percent to 54.10 rand, but Telkom collected 1.45 percent to 44 rand.