The Rand has recovered handsomely this week but faces a reckoning with a month-end exclusion from the FTSE World Government Bond Index that could play out just as the South African coronavirus epidemic nears its peak, although this toxic cocktail may lead the currency to salvation in the early morning of May.

April 12,2020

The South African Rand shed further purchasing power at the start of the new week, with market attention remaining fixed on the economic fallout from the global coronavirus pandemic which is expected to leave emerging market nations such as South Africa exposed to protracted economic weakness.

April 6,2020

The South African Rand has stabilised this week after Friday's credit rating downgrade from Moody's, although with a domestic coronavirus outbreak seen weighing on the already-bruised economy for months more, a sustained recovery could remain a distant prospect for a while yet. 

March 31,2020

The Rand suffered heavy losses ahead of the weekend but it could be buffeted by a further wave of selling early in the new week as investors respond to Moody's decision to cut South Africa's credit rating to 'junk,' which could lift the Pound-to-Rand rate to fresh multui-year highs. 

March 29,2020

The South African Rand could be relatively immune to a downgrade from Moody's later on Friday, as the event has been well signposted to market participants and is therefore likely already absorbed by ZAR valuations.

March 27,2020

The Rand was buffeted again on Thursday amid fresh volatility in risk markets, enabling the Pound-to-Rand rate to climb above a key level on the charts, ahead of Moody's latest credit rating decision although one major bank has told clients the South African currency could weather a downgrade this Friday. 

March 26,2020

The Rand is now forecast to languish near record lows until at least mid-year, according to new downgraded projections from Commerzbank, as South Africans grapple with a coronavirus-induced lockdown, credit rating concerns and a recession that are tipped to draw further interest rate cuts from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB).

March 24,2020

The Rand was on the back foot again Thursday ahead of a South African Reserve Bank (SARB) interest rate decision that's expected to see the cash rate cut by a large 50 basis points, and some analysts say this could keep the emerging market unit under pressure over the coming days. 

March 19,2020