The strong recovery of share prices throughout 1999 supported trading activity on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The value of shares traded in the secondary share market rose to R448 billion in 1999, which was 40% more than in 1998. Volatility in share prices fuelled trading activity further during 2000.
The value of shares traded in the first seven months of this year was 25% higher than in the corresponding period of 1999. In contrast to the unstable conditions in the bond and share markets, interest rates in the money market declined sharply during 1999 and remained largely unchanged during the first seven months of 2000.