Johannesburg - The hunt for yield has trumped a demotion of South Africa’s local-currency debt to junk, with the rand posting its best monthly gain this year in November.
S&P Global Ratings cut the nation’s credit rating on November 24, and Moody’s Investors Service warned it may do the same within the next three months.
Still, borrowing dollars to buy the South African currency proved a profitable strategy, with the rand carry trade returning 3.7% in the month and beating 21 out of 22 emerging-market peers.
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