The rand was steady on Monday morning as traders awaited the release of current account figures.
At 8.38am the rand was at R15.3705 against the dollar from R15.3463 previously.
Against the euro, the rand was at R16.8958 from R16.8264 previously. It was at R21.8436 against the pound from R21.8161. The euro was at $1.0991 from $1.0990 previously.
The Reserve Bank will release current account data on Tuesday. The shortfall for last year is expected to have narrowed to 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) from 5.4% in 2014.
The rand tends to firm when the current account deficit narrows because investors see it as an indication that less money will be needed to finance the debt required to cover the deficit.
The current account shortfall in the fourth quarter compared with the third is expected to have remained stable at about 4.1% of GDP, according to a median consensus forecast from a survey of seven economists.
On Friday, currency markets responded positively to US employment data. The rand strengthened by about 30c.
US nonfarm payrolls for February overshot expectations of 190,000 with a reading of 242,000, from an upwardly revised 172,000 in January. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.9%, while labour force participation picked up to 62.9% from 62.7% in January. However, average earnings fell 0.1% month on month, down from growth of 0.5% in January.
The focus this week will be on the euro in the run-up to the European Central Bank (ECB) meeting.
Dow Jones Newswires said the likelihood of the ECB cutting interest rates deeper into negative territory, and possibly expanding its bond-buying programme, would be detrimental for the euro.
"It further diminishes the appeal of holding the negative-yielding currency," the newswires said.
On the international front, the dollar struggled on Monday after failing to gain on the stronger-than-expected US payrolls data, while the Australian dollar fell prey to profit-taking after its best weekly performance in more than four years.
The greenback had initially gained on Friday in a knee-jerk reaction to an upbeat nonfarm payrolls report which showed solid job growth of 242,000.
But the dollar went into reverse as markets appeared to latch onto the disappointing fall in hourly earnings.
The dollar was down 0.2% at ¥113.605 yen after rising briefly to ¥114.25 on Friday following the employment report release.
The US currency had sunk to a 16-month low below ¥111 in February as a global downturn in stocks amid Chinese growth woes and sliding commodities drove demand for the safe-haven yen.
The dollar index was steady at 97.339, nursing a 0.3% fall on Friday. It popped above 98.000 in immediate reaction to the jobs data, but then slid as deep as 97.019.
The broad dollar retreat helped drive the euro back up to the $1.1000 area, even though the ECB is widely expected to ease at its policy meeting on Thursday.
The Aussie eased 0.4% to $0.7413, trimming some of last week’s eye-catching 4.4% rally. It had easily outperformed on data showing an unexpected acceleration in the Australian economy, which reduced the chances of further cuts in interest rates this year.
With Reuters
At 8.38am the rand was at R15.3705 against the dollar from R15.3463 previously.
Against the euro, the rand was at R16.8958 from R16.8264 previously. It was at R21.8436 against the pound from R21.8161. The euro was at $1.0991 from $1.0990 previously.
The Reserve Bank will release current account data on Tuesday. The shortfall for last year is expected to have narrowed to 4% of gross domestic product (GDP) from 5.4% in 2014.
The rand tends to firm when the current account deficit narrows because investors see it as an indication that less money will be needed to finance the debt required to cover the deficit.
The current account shortfall in the fourth quarter compared with the third is expected to have remained stable at about 4.1% of GDP, according to a median consensus forecast from a survey of seven economists.
On Friday, currency markets responded positively to US employment data. The rand strengthened by about 30c.
US nonfarm payrolls for February overshot expectations of 190,000 with a reading of 242,000, from an upwardly revised 172,000 in January. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.9%, while labour force participation picked up to 62.9% from 62.7% in January. However, average earnings fell 0.1% month on month, down from growth of 0.5% in January.
The focus this week will be on the euro in the run-up to the European Central Bank (ECB) meeting.
Dow Jones Newswires said the likelihood of the ECB cutting interest rates deeper into negative territory, and possibly expanding its bond-buying programme, would be detrimental for the euro.
"It further diminishes the appeal of holding the negative-yielding currency," the newswires said.
On the international front, the dollar struggled on Monday after failing to gain on the stronger-than-expected US payrolls data, while the Australian dollar fell prey to profit-taking after its best weekly performance in more than four years.
The greenback had initially gained on Friday in a knee-jerk reaction to an upbeat nonfarm payrolls report which showed solid job growth of 242,000.
But the dollar went into reverse as markets appeared to latch onto the disappointing fall in hourly earnings.
The dollar was down 0.2% at ¥113.605 yen after rising briefly to ¥114.25 on Friday following the employment report release.
The US currency had sunk to a 16-month low below ¥111 in February as a global downturn in stocks amid Chinese growth woes and sliding commodities drove demand for the safe-haven yen.
The dollar index was steady at 97.339, nursing a 0.3% fall on Friday. It popped above 98.000 in immediate reaction to the jobs data, but then slid as deep as 97.019.
The broad dollar retreat helped drive the euro back up to the $1.1000 area, even though the ECB is widely expected to ease at its policy meeting on Thursday.
The Aussie eased 0.4% to $0.7413, trimming some of last week’s eye-catching 4.4% rally. It had easily outperformed on data showing an unexpected acceleration in the Australian economy, which reduced the chances of further cuts in interest rates this year.
With Reuters
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