JOHANNESBURG: The South African rand was steady early on Thursday, before producer inflation numbers which will give further clues about whether price pressures are building.

At 0633 GMT, the rand traded at 15.0725 against the dollar, little changed from its previous close of 15.0800.

Statistics South Africa will publish the producer price index (PPI) for September around 0930 GMT.

Economists polled by Reuters are expecting a slight increase to 7.3% from 7.2% previously.

Higher producer prices can translate into higher consumer prices further down the line.

The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) targets consumer inflation of between 3% and 6%, with annual consumer inflation rising to 5.0% in September from 4.9% in August.

The SARB has lagged other emerging market central banks in tightening policy but says it is ready to act if there is a risk that rising inflation becomes persistent instead of transitory.

The government's benchmark 2030 bond was also little changed in early deals, with the yield dipping 1 basis point to 9.505%.