Rand slips ahead of key US inflation report

South Africa’s rand slipped on Friday, as focus shifted towards a reading of a key US inflation gauge due later in the day.

At 0630 GMT, the rand traded at R18.40 against the dollar.

“The rand struggled yesterday… as thin liquidity and the squaring of short dollar positions ahead of the Christmas long weekend hit the currency,” said Andre Cilliers, currency strategist at TreasuryONE.

In the absence of local economic indicators, investors will look at US core personal consumption expenditures print, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of underlying inflation, which is expected to provide clues on its interest rate path next year.

South Africa’s benchmark 2030 government bond was weaker in early deals, with the yield up 5.5 basis points at 9.830%.