The rand ended Sunday, 16 August, trading at R16.19, holding onto gains from last week.
The JSE ended Friday, 14 August, in the red, with the All Share Index and the Top 40 Index down slightly.
Wall Street also ended Friday on the back foot, easing off record territory. This retreat was led by the NASDAQ, which closed 0.3% weaker.
The S&P 500 shed 0.17%, while the Dow Jones eased 0.2%, as a soft July retail sales print and weaker United States consumer sentiment tempered the mood.
Citadel Global managing director Biance Botes said South Korea’s KOSPI is closed on Monday, 17 August, for the Liberation Day public holiday.
This comes after the Asian index closed 2.42% firmer on Friday, while Japan’s Nikkei is up 0.23% on Monday morning.
She said the broader MSCI Asia Pacific Index, excluding Japan, is edging up, taking a steadier lead from Wall Street as US index futures tick higher after Friday’s soft close.
In commodities markets, Brent crude oil is trading at $88.97 per barrel, boosted by Israeli-Lebanese hostilities and the stalled reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Botes said these developments are keeping the market alive to the risk of supply disruption, with the International Energy Agency flagging the widest global deficit in five years.
Gold is holding firm at $4,396 per ounce, while the dollar languishes near its recent lows.
On the morning of Monday, 17 August, the rand was trading at R16.18 against the United States dollar, R18.73 against the euro, and R21.92 against the British pound.
