Meanwhile iridium is the latest precious metal to soar, with Reuters reporting supply shortages and expectations it would be used to produce hydrogen to power a greener economy lifting its value by 160% in two months.

It's risen from US$1,685 an ounce on December 12 to a record $4,390/oz, the wire service said.

Impala Platinum (JSE: IMP), which produces about 67,000 ounces of iridium annually, rose 3.5% in a strong day for mining equities in Johannesburg.

Sibanye-Stillwater (JSE: SSW), which announced a 40% increase in 4E PGM reserves at its South Africa operations mainly due to the addition of Marikana, closed up 7.94%, while coal producer Exxaro Resources (JSE: EXX) rose 4.3%.

Miners also enjoyed gains on London, where Glencore rose 5% and Anglo American was up almost 4.9%.

Copper rose to $8,422.50/t in London, its highest point since 2012 when it peaked at $8,765/t, Marex Spectron's Alastair Munro said.

Finally, gold was lower on the spot market, around $1,819/oz at the time of writing.