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Johannesburg - The rand recovered slightly early on Tuesday after touching a fresh 14-year low in the previous session as emerging markets wobble on concerns over China's economy.
At 08:30 the rand edged 0.18% firmer to R12.5945/$, recovering from a low of 12.69 on Monday when the unit failed to breach the key 12.70 technical support.
"Worth noting that the last time the rand traded at these levels, the ensuing correction saw us revisit 12.0550 before the bull trend resumed," said Oliver Alwar of Standard Bank.
Chinese equity markets plunged by their most in eight years on Monday, threatening to drag emerging markets with them as appetite for riskier assets suffered, a day ahead of a US Federal Reserve monetary policy announcement.
READ: China shares tumble in largest drop since 2007
Bets that the US central bank will lift rates in September have seen the greenback rally, and in early trade the dollar index had ticked 0.15% firmer.
The rand may struggle to hold on to the gains, according to traders, with unemployment, trade and government budget data due in the week posing some downside risks.
Yields on government bonds fell, with the benchmark issue due in 2026 dropping 1 basis point to 8.19%.
