Share

Rand weakens ahead of GDP data

Johannesburg - The rand weakened against the dollar early on Tuesday, pulling back from a 5-week high hit overnight as political tensions in emerging markets such as Ukraine and Turkey remained and depressed risk appetite.

The rand managed gains to 10.75/dollar in the previous session, boosted by expectations of upbeat GDP data, a market-positive budget and as dealers unwound long-dollar positions.

At 06:45 GMT, South Africa's currency was down 0.3% to 10.8270, off a 10.7940 close in New York on Monday.

"An overnight eruption of renewed political problems in Turkey is set to spoil what is otherwise an excellent rand environment," said John Cairns of Rand Merchant Bank in a note.

The lira and the rand were the two worst performing currencies against the dollar in a basket of emerging market units tracked by Reuters.

"After a New York low near 10.75, dollar/rand is already back at 10.82 this morning and is potentially set for a very volatile day."

Tension in Ukraine as it tries to emerge from a violent political crises is also keeping investors nervous.

Statistics South Africa will release the last quarter of 2013's economic growth data, which will give a full picture of how Africa's largest economy fared last year.

Expectations are for a jump in quarter-on-quarter growth to 3.4 percent from 0.7% in the third quarter.

Government bonds were up with yields on the benchmark 2026 bonds down 2.5 basis points to 8.6%, while the shorter-dated 2015 note gave up 6.5 basis points to 7.18%.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.99
+1.2%
Rand - Pound
23.76
+0.8%
Rand - Euro
20.36
+0.9%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.40
+0.7%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+1.3%
Platinum
915.40
+0.4%
Palladium
1,006.00
+0.1%
Gold
2,328.93
+0.6%
Silver
27.42
+0.9%
Brent Crude
88.02
-0.5%
Top 40
68,473
-0.2%
All Share
74,417
-0.1%
Resource 10
61,593
+1.9%
Industrial 25
103,012
-1.0%
Financial 15
15,837
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders