British American Tobacco stood out sharply on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, rising 4.6% to 1,028.08 ZAR and finishing as the best performer on the JSE. The move mattered because it came against a clearly weaker tape: the JSE All Share fell 1.42% to 116,762.58, while the Top 40 dropped 1.52% to 109,063.5, as heavy selling in technology bellwethers and consumer names dragged the broader market lower.
Key figures
- BTI +4.6% at 1,028.08 ZAR
- JSE All Share -1.42% at 116,762.58
- JSE Top 40 -1.52% at 109,063.5
- USD/ZAR 16.5599, up 0.82%
- Market breadth: 11 up / 41 down / 1 unchanged
Market context: a weak JSE today with narrow breadth and heavy index pressure
The picture across the JSE today was decisively negative. Only 11 stocks rose, while 41 declined and 1 was unchanged out of 53 names tracked. That weak breadth was amplified by losses in index heavyweights. fell to and dropped to , a combination that matters disproportionately on the Johannesburg market because both stocks carry major index weight and are closely watched as proxies for Tencent-related sentiment.