The South African rand was slightly stronger in early trade on Monday, as investors watched for potential ripple effects of the aborted weekend mutiny in Russia.
At 0703 GMT, the rand traded at 18.7250 against the dollar
ZAR=D3, about 0.2% stronger than its previous close.
The dollar =USD was steady against a basket of global
currencies.
The market impact of a short-lived rebellion by Russian
mercenaries on Saturday was still unclear, analysts said, with global oil
prices slightly higher on concerns about Russian stability and crude supply.
In local news, state utility Eskom said on Sunday that power
cuts would be implemented at relatively low levels throughout the week, as
fewer breakdowns at power stations had led to more generation capacity.
Many South Africans were facing power cuts of around 10
hours a day until recently, but there have been some signs of improvement in
the last few weeks as the country grapples with its worst power crisis on
record.
South Africa's May producer price index ZAPPI=ECI,
ZAPPIY=ECI on Thursday, and money supply ZAM3=ECI, budget ZABUDM=ECI and trade
figures ZATBAL=ECI on Friday will give further indications about the health of
Africa's most industrialised economy.
South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond ZAR2030= was
slightly weaker in early deals, the yield up 0.5 basis points at 10.680%. -Reuters