Johannesburg - The rand stumbled more than 1% on Friday to its softest in nearly a week after the trade balance swung into a wide deficit, pointing to continued pressure on the current account.
SA has long been plagued by twin deficits on its budget and balance of payments position, making the rand particularly vulnerable during bouts of global risk aversion, when investment flows out of emerging markets.
By 17:21 GMT the local unit was 1.1% softer at 11.6670/$, compared with Thursday's New York close.