OREANDA-NEWS. March 10, 2015. South African stocks fell on Monday weighed by Kumba Iron Ore which traded ex-dividend, as well as a slump in markets as investors bet the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates sooner than expected.

Johannesburg's Top-40 index lost 1.25 percent to 46,644 while the wider All-share index shaved off 1.37 percent to percent to 52,614.

Kumba slumped 7.3 percent to 188 rand after the company said it would be paying a dividend of 7.73 rand for shares purchased before Friday, and led to a sell-off in the market.

Gold Fields was the biggest decliner on the All-share index, tumbling 7.7 percent to 44 rand, a level last seen in December. Anglo American Platinum fell 3 percent to 330 rand.

The resource sector slid 5.37 percent, the most in five months, as gold and platinum hovered around three-month and almost six-year lows respectively.

"Japanese GDP was worse than expected (and that) pulled down commodity prices and that led to resources overall performing poorly today," said Nerina Visser, a strategist at Exchange Traded Fund South Africa.

Japanese gross domestic product rose an annualised 1.5 percent in the October-December quarter, revised data showed on Monday, less than the preliminary reading of a 2.2 percent increase as consumer spending and capital expenditure weakened.

European shares fell, tracking moves in Asia following forecast-beating U.S. jobs data that last week stoked expectations the Fed would bring closer the timing of a rate hike.

South Africa's rand fell to a new 13-year low, after investors sold off emerging market currencies.

Sasol bucked the trend, its shares climbing 1 percent, after the petrochemicals company reported higher first half earnings despite depressed oil prices.

Trading was brisk with about 192 million shares traded compared to last year's daily average of 183 million shares, according to preliminary bourse data.