South African rand tumbles as attack on Trump shakes up markets
Updates prices as of 1615 GMT, adds analyst comment in paragraph 4
JOHANNESBURG, July 15 (Reuters) -The South African rand tumbled against the dollar on Monday, as the assassination attempt on former U.S. president Donald Trump this weekend dented appetite for riskier assets and spurred safe-haven demand globally.
The risk-sensitive rand's fall was in line with moves seen in other emerging market currencies, as investors bet the attack would boost Trump's chances of winning November's U.S. election.
At 1615 GMT, the rand traded at 18.19 to the dollar, about 1.3% weaker than where it closed last week.
"Risk aversion in global financial markets tends to see a sell-off of emerging market portfolio assets... (and) weakening EM currencies, and so the domestic currency," Annabel Bishop, chief economist at Investec, wrote in a research note explaining the rand's weakness on Monday.
This week's main domestic drivers will come on Thursday, when the South African Reserve Bank will announce its interest rate decision and President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver an address to parliament on his coalition government's priorities.
The focus at the rate announcement will be on hintsabout the potential timing of an interest rate cut, after a long string of "hold" decisions.
Ramaphosa's speech will give an indication of the new government's plans on howto lift stagnant economic growth and woo investment.
On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Top-40 index .JTOPI closed 0.65% stronger. The benchmark 2030 government bond ZAR2030= was weaker, as the yield rose 10 basis points to 9.575%.
Reporting by Alexander Winning and Tannur Anders;
Editing by Andrew Heavens and Tomasz Janowski
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