Briefs
Rand recovery after weakening, but we’re not out of the storm yet
South Africa, the continent's most advanced economy but plagued with stubborn structural difficulties, recorded a 24.22 billion rand ($2.1 billion) trade deficit for January and is facing its worst power-supply crisis since 2008.
By 1414 GMT the rand had gained 0.08 percent against the greenback to 11.7600, recovering after falling close to one percent at 11.8175, its weakest level since February 12.
Yields on government bonds rose at a government auction earlier, with the benchmark instrument due in 2026 up 7.5 basis points to 7.7 percent by late trade.
"The selloff in the rand in the past four sessions looks a little over done. We might need to see a correction first before another leg higher on the USD ZAR towards the 11.90 mark."
HSBC releases its February Purchasing Managers' Index at 0715 GMT on Wednesday, following a contraction in private sector business activity in January. (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia)