JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's All-share index hit a record high in early trade on Monday, rising 0.6 percent as miner Assore and other commodities companies were buoyed by hopes of action by Europe to support its fragile economy. The All-share, the broadest measure of South African stock performance, briefly touched 34,877.55, surpassing its previous record of 34,808.92 set on June 20. The benchmark Top-40 index was up 0.5 percent at 30,666.19 at 0757 GMT, below its lifetime high of 31,393.10 set in 2008. The All-share index is up nearly 9 percent so far this year in local currency terms, making it the second-best performing index among the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Only Indian stocks have performed better, rising nearly 11 percent. In dollar terms, the All-share is the top performer among the BRICS, up 7.6 percent. So far this year, investors have been drawn to South African retailers and other firms seen as having strong growth prospects. The top performer this year has been engineering and capital equipment firm Invicta Holdings, which is up 61 percent. Other strong performers include private hospital firm Life Healthcare, up 60 percent, and discount retailer Mr Price.

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