Shares in South Africa's Barloworld and Mr Price may boost the bourse next week if they turn in strong results as expected, but rand-sensitive stocks may trip the market's march. Barloworld, the world's largest independent lift truck dealer, said in October its headline earnings per share - due out on Tuesday - for the year would be between 35-45 percent higher than last year.
"Barloworld will probably surprise us, and any good news will have people running for the shares. I am still quite bullish," Abri du Plessis at Gryphon Asset Management said.
Clothing chain Mr Price sees earnings for the six months to September rising by up to 35 percent when it reports on Wednesday.
A recent jump in industrial, retail and some bank shares has energised South Africa's resource-dominated bourse, which usually wilts when the rand strengthens as shares in heavyweight miners lose out when the firm's exports become more expensive.
A sustained pull-back in oil prices would also prove to be positive to most stocks, and especially heavyweight miners.
OPEC's reference crude oil price fell this week to as low as $37.16 a barrel, its lowest since the end of July.
The rand firmed on Friday, but was seen trading within a 6.16-6.24 range to the US dollar as it tracked the euro. Some traders said the bullish tone was about to wane.
"We've had a phenomenal run in industrials and retail stocks have been really pumping as well, but I expect profit-taking, there's been too much of a rally and players have made good returns in a very short time," said Greg Potter at Nedcor.
The JSE top 40 index of blue chips has risen since last Friday by about 1.5 percent to 11,087.68 points by 1132 GMT, while the all share index had also trotted up roughly 1.5 percent to 12,242.80 points.
"This week has been a honeymoon period after the US election, and a fall in oil prices boosted global markets, but next week we could be back to fundamentals and see some consolidation and weakness," Bruce Anderson, the chief investment director at Fairheads Asset Management said. "The market could now take a breather or move sideways.
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