Rand trading at R18,48 to US dollar

The rand is trading at R18,48 to the US dollar; R23,28 to pound sterling, and R19,23 to the euro.

The euro is trading at $1,04, and the dollar is trading at 150,5-5 Japanese yen.

In China, a dollar is changing hands at 7-yuan-28 and in India at 87-rupees-41.

Now on to bourses:

Stocks on Wall Street are mixed at this hour.

The Dow Jones is up 0,4% and the Nasdaq composite is down 0,1%.

European markets are mainly weaker in afternoon trade.

Britain’s FTSE 100 is 0,45% higher; the CAC 40 in France is 0,3% weaker and Germany’s DAX is 0,5% lower.

Stocks on the JSE extended losses at the closing bell.

The All Share Index contracted by 1,2% R86,284; financials lost 0,6% and the industrial index declined by 0,9%.

The Top 10 resources index fell 2,8% and the precious metals mining index was 3,4% in the red.

On the capital market, the yield on the R186 government bond is at 8,3-0%.

Meanwhile, gold is trading at $2,834 and platinum at $937 per ounce.

The price of Brent crude oil is at $73,11 a barrel.