The JSE saw a turnaround in the afternoon to close in the red on Friday amid profit taking.

At 17:00 the JSE all share index had fallen 0.71 percent, with resources down 1.68 percent. Platinum producers edged 0.43 percent lower and gold counters slipped 2.80 percent.

Banks gave away 1.40 percent and financials dropped 0.85 percent, but industrials were 0.42 percent higher.

The rand was last bid at 7.78 to the dollar from 7.76 when the JSE closed on Thursday. Gold was last quoted at $1039.55 a troy ounce from $1040.45 at the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1319 an ounce, from $1334 at its previous close.

A local trader said: "We started off firm this morning on the back of a stronger Dow and trading in the East, but have drifted lower during the day.

"I can only assume that there is a bit of profit taking going on because various bits of US data came in better than expected, yet the market continued to turn."

Dow Jones Newswire reported that US stocks continued moving lower on Friday, led by the financial and materials sectors, as the risk-aversion trade that appeared to fade during Thursday's rally came back into play.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently down 90 points, or 0.9 percent, to 9874.

The Dow's drop followed a Thursday surge on better-than-expected economic growth in the third quarter that sent the measure to its biggest one-day point gain since July 15. But stocks had been sliding for four consecutive sessions prior to Thursday and, as the euphoria over the third- quarter GDP report wears off, the slump appears be resuming.

Among the slew of economic data released on Friday, spending by Americans fell 0.5 percent in September, the largest drop since December 2008, although it was in line with economists' expectations. Consumer confidence levels slipped in October compared with the previous month, although they came in above preliminary readings as well as economists' expectations.

Personal income was flat compared to August, in line with expectations, while a key price gauge reiterated that inflation wasn't an immediate threat. US labour costs continued to stagnate in the third quarter. And the Chicago purchasing manager's index climbed in October from September, as production and new orders rose.

On the JSE, Anglo American plc dropped 3.48 rand, or 1.18 percent, to 292 rand and BHP Billiton shed five rand, or 2.26 percent, to 215.91 rand.

Petrochemicals group Sasol fell 4.80 rand, or 1.60 percent, to 295.80 rand.

Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti shed 11.09 rand, or 3.68 percent, to 289.90 rand, Gold Fields declined 1.75 rand, or 1.71 percent, to 100.50 rand and Harmony weakened 2.30 rand, or 2.85 percent, to 78.50 rand. South Africa's third-largest gold producer on Friday reported a 5.6 percent quarter-on-quarter increase in production to 373,431 ounces in the September quarter from 353,752 ounces in the June quarter.

The company reported a net loss of 29 million rand for the three months to end September 2009, compared with a 236 million rand profit in the June quarter.

Higher gold production helped to overcome the negative impact of a 3 percent drop in the average rand gold price received to 239,438 rand per kilogram.

Total revenue was 3 percent higher at 2.7 billion rand.

After accounting for an 11 percent increase in cash operating costs to 2.2 billion rand ?the main drivers of which were electricity and labour ? cash operating profit was 26 percent down on the previous quarter at 552 million rand.

Platinum miner Lonmin eased 8.79 rand, or 4.37 percent, to 192.50 rand. Among industrials on the JSE, SABMiller gained 2.31 rand, or 1.12 percent, to 209.25 rand and British American Tobacco advanced 3.27 rand, or 1.31 percent, to 253 rand.

Electronics group Reunert wavered 1.09, or 1.93 percent, to 55.41 rand.

Banker Standard Bank moved 1.30 rand, or 1.31 percent lower, to 98.20 rand, Nedbank slipped 3.10 rand, or 2.55 percent, to 118.40 rand, and Absa lost 2.49 rand, or 1.96 percent, to 124.51 rand.

Financial services group Old Mutual declined 25 cents, or 1.79 percent, to 13.75 rand.

Santam gained one rand, or 1.01 percent, to 100.50 rand.

Retailer Lewis fell 90 cents, or 1.62 percent, to 54.70 rand. Massmart improved 2.25 rand, or 2.55 percent, to 90.55 rand and Mr Price was up one rand, or 2.87 percent, to 35.90 rand.

Construction group Murray & Roberts 89 cents, or 1.60 percent, to 56.38 rand, and Aveng profited 1.51 rand, or 3.75 percent, to 41.75 rand.

Telecommunications group MTN Group picked up one rand to 117.50 rand.