JOHANNESBURG: The South African rand was little changed in early trade on Thursday, ahead of a flurry of domestic economic data expected later in the day.

At 0620 GMT, the rand traded at 18.9450 to the dollar, down about 0.1% on its previous close.

The benchmark 2030 government bond was flat.

Thursday’s data releases include the February Producer Price Index (PPI) , February budget balance and February trade statistics.

South African rand little changed ahead of employment data

The country’s central bank will also publish its quarterly bulletin, shedding light on foreign direct investment flows in the final three months of last year.

Early on Thursday, central bank data showed private sector credit extension picked up slightly in February, to 3.32% in year-on-year terms.