The South African share market ended relatively flat this week after choppy trade. The All Share index was off just 0.31% at 51424.50 points, pulled down by a sell-off in banking stocks such as Barclays Africa.The banking index has battled to gain traction since December, when President Jacob Zuma reshuffled the finance ministry.Analysts say the threat of a ratings downgrade has put a lid on share prices in the sector.The bleak scenario is compounded by rising interest rates in an economy that is expected to remain weak.The resources sector, which now holds less influence on the All Share, held up on the week. Gold stocks clung on to sizable gains despite the rebound in the rand on Friday.Industrial shares, such as British American Tobacco, were subdued throughout the week, although the industrial index eked out a gain of 0.31%."I would be very cautious to allocate funds to equities in the current environment," said Casparus Treurnicht, portfolio manager at Gryphon Asset Management, adding that the local equity market was expensive.World equity markets were generally reticent and indecisive in the first week of the second quarter, suggesting a degree of caution ahead of US first-quarter corporate earnings data, which analysts reckon will determine the next path for global markets.In the currency markets, the rand displayed wild swings against the dollar during the week, from R14.63/$ to R15.29/$ before it bounced back to R14.95/$ late on Friday.Domestic retail sales and mining production data will come under the spotlight this week. FNB analysts said in a note that they were "less upbeat" about the balance of the year, given the economic challenges...