Rand softens after failing at key resistance

Johannesburg - The rand eased against the US dollar on Thursday after failing to push through the stubborn 12/$ resistance level, while investors waited for direction from US jobs numbers due in the next session.

The weak state of the domestic economy was also in focus after Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene told parliament a sluggish global recovery and domestic constraints such as power shortages were holding back growth.

At 17:04 the rand had softened 0.27% to R12.0450 against the dollar compared with its closing level at R12.0125 in New York.

"We’ve seen it struggling to make a move from this R12 against the dollar handle where it has been consolidating for the past couple of sessions," said Jana van Deventer, market analyst of ETM Analytics.

"We believe that the US data (non-farm payroll) tomorrow will be key in providing directional momentum for the currency into the weekend," the market analyst added.

A string of weaker-than-expected US data has prompted investors to push back bets on when the Federal Reserve will start hiking interest rates, with some now not expecting rises until next year.

In fixed income, the yield for the 2026 benchmark was down 1 basis points to 8.13%.