The rand is trading at R14.82 to the dollar, R18.08 to pound sterling and R16.60 to the euro. The euro is trading at one-dollar-12, and the dollar is at 106-point-three-nine Japanese yen.
In Brazil, one dollar is trading at 3-real-97, in Russia, at 65-roubles-17, in India at 70-rupees-75, and in China, a dollar is changing hands at seven-yuan-03 .
Asian markets closed lower. Japan’s Nikkei as well as Hong Kong’s Hang Seng declined by half-a-per cent and mainland China’s Shanghai Composite index was one-and-a-half percent weaker, while India’s SENSEX is 1.2% higher at the close of trade.
The JSE is mainly firmer at midday. The All Share index has gained 0.8% to 55-thousand-430, the Industrial 25 index is one-point-two per cent higher, the Top 10 Resources index has added 0.3%, but the gold mining index is 0.2% down. On the capital market, the yield on the R186 government bond is at 8.39%.
Markets in Europe are mainly firmer at this hour. Britain’s FTSE 100 is flat, the CAC 40 in France is 0.8% higher and Germnay’s DAX has added 0.6%.
Looking at commodities,
Gold is trading at one-thousand-462-dollars and platinum at 855-dollars per ounce. The price of Brent crude oil is 59-dollars-90-cents a barrel.
