South African Rand Top Weekly Currency on Gold Rise

The South African rand was the best performing among 16 main traded currencies in foreign-exchange markets, as demand for metallic commodities exported from the African nation rose globally, increasing their rates and influencing positive the rand’s price and attractiveness.

This week gold and platinum, the biggest South African metal exports rose significantly as risk appetite reigned during most of the past five days, providing support for the rand to top the rank of best performers currencies, and causing the sharpest weekly rally in 3 months. Another positive point favoring the rand this week was a decline in foreign currency reserves growth, which could be interpreted as a neutral position from central bank policy makers regarding the current high levels of the rand. The South African rand is ranking among the top 5 best performing currencies in 2009, with other currencies from countries with similar profile as the South African nation, with high interest rates and a commodity export driven economy, such as the Australian dollar, and the Brazilian real.

Analysts affirm that the South African Reserve Bank position towards the rand’s strength is favorable for the currency to rally, as in other countries, like Canada, a strong currency is being highly unwelcome, which is affecting the Canadian dollar profile, differently from the rand, which still has a favorable scenario to grow further.

USD/ZAR closed the week at 7.54 after being traded to as high as 7.91 during the week.

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