JSE likely to follow global markets down on Friday

Naspers and BHP, which together account for a third of the JSE’s top 40 index, are likely to drag the local bourse down on Friday.

In Hong Kong, Naspers’s dominant asset Tencent was down 2.4% to HK$333.60, and in Sydney, BHP was down 0.52% to A$36.48.

Asian markets were in a sour mood after the US’s December retail sales data showed a 1.2% decline from November instead of the expected 0.2% growth. Annual US retail sales grew 2.3%, down from 4.1% in November.

A poll of economists done by Reuters showed the growing fear that US President Donald Trump’s trade war with China will push the country into a recession in 2019.