The JSE ended on a higher note on Thursday, shored up by positive US job data and the weakening dollar, which boosted resources shares.

The JSE all share index gained 0.64 percent, as platinum miners added 0.26 percent, gold miners rose 0.17 percent, and resources climbed 0.73 percent. Banks picked up 0.56 percent, financials firmed 0.61 percent and industrials edged up 0.57 percent.

The rand was bid at 7.32 to the dollar from 7.33 at the JSE's close on Wednesday. Gold was quoted at US$1,162.70 a troy ounce from US$1,161.05/oz at the JSE's previous close, while platinum was at $1,558.00/oz from $1,536.50/oz before.

A trader said the local market maintained upward momentum due to improved economic data in the US.

"Investors were closely monitoring US jobs data," the trader said.

The trader said the weak dollar bolstered commodity prices, which in turn benefited resources equities like BHP Billiton (BIL) and Sasol (SOL).

Dow Jones newswires reports that US stocks advanced tentatively Thursday as a mixed round of second-quarter earnings boosted energy and financial companies, but signs of weakness in consumer spending kept the gains in check.

Investors have largely embraced second-quarter earnings and revenues as a sign of business strength, but the latest string of corporate reports on Thursday hinted that consumers may still be closely watching their wallets.

Paring an early morning rally, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was recently up 24 points, or 0.2 percent to 10524.

Market watchers largely shrugged off a slight decline in weekly jobless claims.

On the JSE, Anglo American plc (AGL) gained 4.03 rand or 1.38 percent to 295.80 rand, and BHP Billiton (BIL) added 60 cents to 229.50 rand. Sasol (SOL) jumped 5.50 rand or 1.91 percent to 294.00 rand.

Anglo Platinum (AMS) lost a rand to 710.00 rand, and Northam Platinum (NHM) declined 40 cents to 44.69 rand.

Lonmin (LON) rose 2.00 rand or 1.11 percent to 182.00 rand, but Aquarius Platinum (AQP) shed 56 cents or 1.71 percent to 32.25 rand.

Aquarius, the world's fourth-largest platinum producer, on Thursday reported a 7 percent increase in quarter-on-quarter (q/q) attributable production to 110,474 ounces for the three months to end June 2010.

This compares to 103,286 ounces produced in the three months to end March 2010. The largest contributor to attributable production remained Kroondal with a production of 54,219 ounces in the quarter. Mimosa, with attributable production of 24,855 ounces, and Marikana, with 15,945 ounces, were the company's second and third largest producing operations.

Gold miner AngloGold Ashanti (ANG) fell 62 cents to 291.00 rand, and DRDGold (DRD) slumped eight cents or 2.60 percent to 3.00 rand, but Goldfields (GFI) gained 50 cents to 96.80 rand.

Kumba Iron Ore (KIO) increased 2.65 rand to 367.00 rand, and African Rainbow (ARI) added 1.38 rand to 172.38 rand.

Steel producer ArcelorMittal (ACL) rose 60 cents to 86.90 rand.

First Uranium (FUM) surged 50 cents or 7.69 percent to 7.00 rand. The company reported that during the three months ended June 2010 (Q1 2011) 14,120 ounces of gold were produced from the Ezulwini Mine and 20,215 ounces of gold from the Mine Waste Solutions (MWS) tailings recovery project in South Africa.

Ezulwini Mine's gold production increased 88 percent over Q4 2010 and MWS gold recovery exceeded Q1 2011 planned production by 65 percent, it said. The Ezulwini Mine also produced 19,764 pounds of uranium in the form of ammonium diuranate (yellowcake).

For industrials, British American Tobacco plc (BAT) subsided 4.49 rand or 1.75 percent to 252.61 rand, but SAB (SAB) firmed 2.14 rand to 221.64 rand.

Lonrho plc (LAF) was flat at 1.80 rand. The group said turnover from operations for the quarter ended June 2010 increased by 44.6 percent to GBP26.8 million, compared with the prior year. In comparable currency terms, growth was 42.4 percent.

The increase came despite the third quarter traditionally being the lowest for the company within its annual business cycle.

Telecommunications firm MTN (MTN) edged up 26 cents to 115.76 Rand, and rival Vodacom gained 50 cents to 62.50 rand.

In the banking sector, Nedbank (NED) rose 91 cents to 136.11 rand, and the Standard Bank (SBK) eked out 77 cents gain to 115.18 rand.

Absa (ASA) gained 1.07 rand to 138.85 rand.

Absa Group and Absa Bank (ABSP, ASA) said in a trading update on Thursday that it anticipates Absa Group's headline earnings per share (HEPS) for the six months ended June 30, 2010 (1H10) to be between 3 percent and 5 percent lower than 1H09. Earnings per share (EPS) for 1H10 are expected to be between 10 percent and 12 percent higher than 1H09.

Financial services group Old Mutual (OML) added 22 cents or 1.57 percent to 14.20 rand.

Retailer Massmart (MSM) grew 1.35 rand or 1.06 percent to 128.15 rand, and Shoprite (SHP) pocketed 81 cents to 92.26 rand.

Lewis (LEW) rallied 1.84 rand or 2.99 percent to 63.36 rand, and Foschini (FOS) surged 1.69 rand or 2.41 percent to 71.80 rand.

Construction group M&R Holding (MUR) rose 1.14 rand or 2.74 percent to 42.79 rand.

Media giant Naspers (NPN) added 2.95 rand to 314,40 rand. The Competition Tribunal unconditionally approved the merger between construction group Murray and Roberts (MUR) and Brodsky Investments; Capital Property Fund; Resilient Properties and Fortress Income 2.