MARKET WRAP: JSE, rand firmer as focus turns to US inflation this week

The rand firmed to levels last seen a month ago on Monday, while the JSE pared earlier losses amid mixed global peers, with investors turning their focus to US inflation data this week.

Investors are anticipating the US consumer price index (CPI) report will give further insight into how far the Federal Reserve needs to go to bring down inflation. A hot report could signal to investors that a pivot — a point when the Fed will reverse course on its monetary policy — from a prolonged period of higher interest rates could be further away than expected. The CPI report will be released on Thursday…