South African rand edges higher as retail sales rise
Updates prices to reflect afternoon trade
JOHANNESBURG, Oct 16 (Reuters) -South Africa's rand held onto its gains on Wednesday, as domestic retail sales rose in August, indicating an improvement in consumer sentiment.
At 1522 GMT, the rand traded at 17.6375 against the U.S. dollar ZAR=D3, 0.1% firmer than its previous close.
The dollar =USD last traded about 0.18% stronger against a basket of currencies.
South African retail sales rose 3.2% year-on-year in August after rising by a revised 1.7% in July, figures released by the statistics agency showed.
Given the South African economy's dependence on consumption, retail sales are an important indicator of South Africa's growth prospects.
"Buying activity is slowly building momentum on the back of improved consumer sentiment. The latest retirement reforms and lower interest rates should encourage consumers to open their wallets further over the coming months," said Jee-A van der Linde, senior economist at Oxford Economics.
On the stock market, the Top-40 .JTOPI index closed 0.62% higher.
South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond ZAR2030= was weaker, with the yield up 1.5 basis points at 9.23%.
Reporting by Tannur Anders and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Sumana Nandy and Bill Berkrot
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