* Top-40 up 0.75 pct
* Platinum, gold gain
JOHANNESBURG, March 11 (Reuters) - South African stocks ended in the black on Tuesday led by e-commerce giant Naspers
The spot gold price
Platinum
One trader said he did not expect the resources' favoured status would hold for much longer, pointing instead towards industrial and financial stocks as the next big thing.
"China isn't just showing enough signs of improvement," said Brandon Sacks, a sales trader at Avior Research in Johannesburg. "The bounce in the resources is really just because they were oversold."
South Africa's central bank raised its benchmark rate by 50 basis points in January, in what analysts expect to be the first of several hikes this year. The increase in interest rates is expected to benefit the banking sector.
The Top-40 index
Gold miners Gold Fields
On the platinum side, Lonmin
Platinum holdings in physically backed exchange-traded funds have hit a record high after fresh inflows into funds listed in London and Johannesburg, and are set to rise further as the strike in the sector grinds on.
Naspers, the biggest domestic company listed in Johannesburg, was up 3.8 percent to 1,354.09 rand per share, extending gains so far this year to 23 percent.
Its money spinner, No. 1 Chinese internet company Tencent Holdings'
Times Media Group
Investors traded more than 176 million shares, according to early statistics by the bourse, with advancers outpacing decliners 152 to 143.
(Reporting by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura; editing by David Dolan)
((helen.nyambura@thomsonreuters.com)(+27 11 775 3034)(Reuters Messaging: helen.nyambura.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: SAFRICA STOCKS/