Resources offered the JSE support and kept the bourse in the black by noon on Friday, moving in line with positive international markets on the back of Thursday's better-than-expected jobless data in the US.

At 12.01pm the JSE all share index had collected 0.74 percent, with resources up 1.02 percent, gold miners firming 2.19 percent and platinum producers edging up 0.53 percent.

Banks were flat, up 0.09 percent, financials collected 0.31 percent and industrials strengthened 0.68 percent.

The rand was bid at 7.54 to the dollar from 7.60 when the JSE closed on Thursday. Gold was quoted at $1094.60 a troy ounce from $1090.15 at the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1363.50/oz, from $1351.50/oz at its previous close.

"We are firmer on the market today on the back of US markets after better-than-expected jobless data. That followed through in eastern markets and we are moving in line with those markets," a trader said.

"All eyes are on the non-farm payrolls. We are trading into a range for the day, waiting for further news," he said.

Dow Jones Newswire reported that the FTSE 100 edged slightly higher despite a poor UK PPI figure. The data showed an unexpected rise in October, suggesting inflationary pressures could be building after remaining neutral over the past year. The October input PPI rises to a 16-month high of 2.6 percent on the month in October, compared with economists' expectations of a 0.5 percent fall. "I suppose everyone is still fixated on government stimulus programmes, which continue to support risk assets," said a trader. He added that non-farm payrolls, at 1.30pm GMT, and crucially, the unemployment rate, are overshadowing everything.

The FTSE 100 had last edged up 0.19 percent.

US stocks are called to open flat as investors pause for breath ahead of the non-farm payrolls report at 1330 GMT, said David Morrison at GFT. He called the DJIA down 10 points and the S&P 500 down one point. Morrison said expectations were for a sub-consensus figure of a 200 000 fall in non-farm employment. He noted the unemployment rate was likely to creep higher and there was some speculation the number will hit 10 percent. "In fact, some analysts are privately speculating that this is why the Federal Reserve kept quantitative easing in place," he added.