JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa’s rand edged higher on Friday after the release of a purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the domestic manufacturing sector, and U.S. jobs data.
At 1512 GMT, the rand traded at 17.5675 against the U.S. dollar, about 0.2% stronger than its previous close.
South African manufacturing activity grew in October, a local PMI survey showed, the first time since early 2023 that the highly volatile sector has recorded two consecutive months of growth.
Meanwhile, U.S. job growth slowed sharply last month amid disruptions from hurricanes and strikes by aerospace factory workers, data showed earlier.
“Looking ahead, we anticipate a week of significant volatility, particularly with the U.S. elections poised to influence market dynamics,” said Wichard Cilliers, director and head of market risk at TreasuryONE.
On the stock market, the blue-chip Top-40 index closed 0.95% higher.
South Africa’s benchmark 2030 government bond was slightly weaker, with the yield up 0.5 basis point at 9.32%.
(Reporting by Tannur Anders and Bhargav Acharya in JohannesburgEditing by Sharon Singleton and Matthew Lewis)
