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Johannesburg - The rand held steady against the dollar early on Friday, pausing in its recent march towards the key R10.50/$ resistance level.
At 08:10 the unit was trading at R10.5420 to the dollar, slightly firmer from its close in New York on Thursday.
The rand, which has notched up five days of daily gains against the dollar, received a boost from a rise in US jobless claims the previous session, climbing to its strongest level since July 28.
Signals that tensions in eastern Ukraine could ease also boosted emerging markets.
Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission presidents agreed to hold talks over gas and trade agreement disputes, along with efforts to stabilise the security situation in Ukraine.
"If the rand can get a weekly close below the 10.50 level, a more pronounced move lower could develop," said Oliver Alwar, a currency trader at Standard Bank.
"There are still developments in Ukraine and the Middle East to watch out for as focus shifts to next weekend's Jackson Hole and Yellen. For the day look for a R10.5000 to R10.6300 range."
Yields on government bonds fell 2 basis points each to 6.56% on the 2015 note and to 8.21% on the 2026 issue.
The Treasury has offered R800m in 2038, 2046 and 2022 consumer inflation linked bonds for sale. The results are due after the auction closes at 11:00.
