JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's rand continued a recent volatile run on Monday, strengthening by over a percent against the dollar as U.S. consumer spending declined by is biggest margin since late 2009.
By 1532 GMT the local unit had firmed 1 percent to 11.5250 per dollar, erasing Friday's sharp losses as global risk sentiment was soothed slightly by a recovery in world oil prices.
Crude oil futures rose as high as $55.62 a barrel, boosting commodity-linked and emerging market currencies against a broadly softer greenback.
"The world seems to think the rand should be the reserve currency of choice at the moment," said Ian Martin, a currency trader at Rand Merchant Bank. "And today seems to be generally a risk-on day because of the firmer commodity prices."
Bond yields edged up, with the government issue due in 2026 adding 3 basis points to 7.16 percent.
Earlier, South Africa's January new vehicle sales fell by 1.2 percent year-on-year, although sales rose on a month-on-month basis, due in part to falling domestic petrol prices which will decrease by a further 8.3 percent a litre on Wednesday.
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