The JSE ended slightly higher on Tuesday held up by resource and commodity counters, with a local trader saying the bourse was being supported by foreign buying.

At 5.00pm the JSE all share index had collected 0.52 percent, with resources adding 0.98 percent. Platinum producers firmed 1.48 percent and gold miners were flat, up 0.10 percent.

Banks weakened 0.61 percent and financials eased 0.11 percent, while industrials collected 0.33 percent.

The rand was bid at 7.45 to the dollar, from 7.33 when the JSE closed on Monday. Gold was quoted at $1132.75 a troy ounce from $1132.85 at the JSE's last close, and platinum was at $1442 an ounce, from $1448.50 at its previous close.

"We ended slightly higher to day. A lot of foreign money is flowing into the bigger companies. There is a lot of foreign money buying into the traditional big five shares on the market," the trader said.

"The rand has weakened since this morning and that must be supporting the market to a certain extent," he said.

Dow Jones Newswires reported that US stocks were trading near the flatline on Tuesday, as commodities slid, the dollar rose, and US industrial production came in weaker than expected, but US wholesale prices had a smaller-than-expected rise.

The DJIA was recently off 6 points at 10401, retreating from the new high for the year it hit on Monday. Home Depot was its biggest decliner, off 2.7 percent recently. Although the home-improvement retailer posted a smaller-than-expected decline in fiscal third-quarter profit, its implied guidance for the fourth quarter came in below analysts' forecast, and its sales at comparable stores decelerated from the second quarter. Bank of America and Alcoa were also down more than 1 percent. The declines were held in check by Microsoft, which climbed 1.1 percent.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 0.1 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 was down 0.2 percent, led by its consumer discretionary and materials sectors.

The materials sector's decline came as metals futures slid. Crude oil futures also fell, hurting the energy sector.

Meanwhile, the dollar gained against the euro and the yen, although Treasuries slipped. The 10-year note was recently down 6/32 to yield 3.371 percent.

The action came as the Federal Reserve said industrial production last month rose 0.1 percent, smaller than the 0.3 percent increase Wall Street had expected.

However, the disappointing industrial-production data was offset by a smaller-than-expected rise in US wholesale prices, which is expected to give the Federal Reserve continued ammunition in trying to support the economic recovery by keeping interest rates at a record low close to zero.

When the local market closed, the DJIA was flat, up 0.01 percent.

Among equity movers on the JSE, Anglo American plc put on 2.90 rand to 328 rand and BHP Billiton added 3.80 rand, or 1.66 percent, to 232.13 rand.

Petrochemicals group Sasol collected 55 cents to 294.80 rand.

ArcelorMittal declined 1.19 rand, or 1.06 percent, to 111.31 rand, but Kumba Iron Ore added 2.79 rand, or 1.09 percent, to 259 rand.

AngloGold Ashanti collected 50 cents to 334.10 rand and Harmony edged up 33 cents to 80.38 rand, but Gold Fields eased 20 cents to 108.75 rand.

Platinum miner Anglo Platinum jumped 23.11 rand, or 3.36 percent, to 710 rand and Impala Platinum was one rand higher at 172.10 rand, but Lonmin lost 1.85 rand to 212 rand.

In diversified miners, African Rainbow gave up two rand, or 1.18 percent, to 167 rand.

Elsewhere on the JSE, brewer SABMiller gained two rand to 209.90 rand and British American Tobacco rose 3.50 rand, or 1.43 percent, to 248 rand, but Famous Brands fell 2.25 rand, or 10.11 percent, to 20 rand.

Freeworld Coatings was up 25 cents, or 3.23 percent, to eight rand.

Earlier it reported a 34 percent fall in its earnings per share for the full year from 105 cents to 70 cents in the year to end September 2009.

Net profit fell 32 percent to 147 million rand from 216.9 million rand a year ago.

The company declared a final dividend of 7 cents a share, bringing the total dividend to 12 cents a share.

Banking group Nedbank lost three rand, or 2.49 percent, to 117.50 rand and Absa declined 1.85 rand, or 1.42 percent, to 128.45 rand.

Financial services group Old Mutual collected 22 cents, or 1.53 percent, to 14.60 rand, but Sanlamweakened 36 cents, or 1.59 percent, to 22.24 rand.

Media group Caxton was up 50 cents, or 3.23 percent, to 16 rand.

Retailer Woolies was down 19 cents, or 1.09 percent, to 17.32 rand, Massmart lost 1.95 rand, or 2.18 percent, to 87.50 rand, Lewis gave up one rand, or 1.92 percent, to 51 rand, Shoprite declined 70 cents, or 1.12 percent, to 61.80 rand and Clicks weakened 51 cents, or 1.97 percent, to 25.34 rand.

Construction group Murray & Roberts collected 55 cents, or 1 percent, to 55.80 rand and WBHO gained 2.50 rand, or 2.16 percent, to 118 rand.

Telecommunications groups, MTN Group firmed 2.78 rand, or 2.38 percent, to 119.78 rand but Vodacom inched 15 cents lower to 55.85 rand and Telkom gave up 50 cents, or 1.23 percent, to 40 rand.

Reinet Investments inched up four cents to 11.58 rand. It earlier reported earnings per share from continuing operations of 2.08 euros for the six months ended September compared with 2.39 euros for the six months ended March 2009.

The company's net asset value at end September 2009 was 2.254 billion euros - an increase of 22 percent from end March 2009. The net asset value per ordinary share was 11.51 euros. Profit for the period was 406 million euros.