South African rand steady after release of business confidence, policy review
Updates prices to reflect afternoon trade
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 15 (Reuters) -South Africa's rand was little changed onTuesday after the releaseof a local business confidence index and the central bank's bi-annual Monetary Policy Review.
At 1501 GMT, the rand traded at 17.6050 againstthe dollar ZAR=D3, near itsprevious close of 17.60.
The dollar last traded about 0.04% softer againsta basket of global currencies.
South African business confidencedipped in September on lower vehicle and retail sales and a drop in the value of building plans, but the overall trend since May's election remains positive, data from the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed.
Meanwhile the South African central bank said it would shift its policy focus to monitoring how core inflation and inflation expectations respond as price pressures continue to moderate.
With a light domestic calendar, local investors will continue towatch developments indicating theFederal Reserve's rate-cutting path and Chinese asset volatility, both of which could influence the risk-sensitive rand'sdirection.
In stocks, the Top-40 .JTOPI index closed 0.52% lower.
South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond ZAR2030= was marginally weaker, with the yield up 1 basis point at 9.215.
($1 = 17.6086 rand)
Reporting by Tannur Anders and Bhargav Acharya
Editing by Gareth Jones
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