Rand weakens again as Gordhan's possible prosecution looms

25 August 2016 - 02:00 By Maarten Mittner
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The rand weakened in late afternoon trade on Thursday‚ after briefly firming to below R14/$ as President Jacob Zuma announced his full support for Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

"President Jacob Zuma wishes to express his full support and confidence in the minister of finance and emphasises the fact that the minister has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing‚" the Presidency’s spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said.

The weakness followed an unconfirmed report that the Hawks were set to provide National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams with a docket on Friday‚ recommending the prosecution of former officials of the South African Revenue Service‚ which may include Gordhan.

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At 3.36pm the rand was at R14.1542 against the dollar from R14.1532 at the previous close. It firmed to R13.9580 in intraday trade. It was at R15.9817 against the euro from R15.9414 previously‚ and at R18.6770 against the pound from R18.7304 previously.

The euro was at $1.1292‚ from $1.1263 at its last settlement. The rand remained exceptionally vulnerable‚ along with its emerging-market peers‚ as markets globally focus on news from Jackson Hole‚ Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) analysts said.

US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen is expected to deliver a hawkish message in her speech before central bankers in Wyoming on Friday. That would support the dollar and put emerging-market currencies under pressure.

 - TMG Digital/BDlive

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