South African Rand

• The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is the central bank of South Africa. Its objective is to maintain price stability. Its annual Consumer Price Index is established in the range between 3% and 6%.
• Price setting method: the floating exchange rate is described as “supervised”. The SARB, therefore, reserves the right to intervene on the spot market to influence the value of the ZAR, mainly against the USD.

• The only freely convertible and transferable currency in the entire African continent, the rand is also one of the most liquid emerging currencies in the world.
• The high volatility of the ZAR can be partly explained by many uncertainties that weigh on the country, such as political instability, the strong correlation with the price of specific raw materials, as well as problems related to employment and energy.

• The ZAR tends to appreciate in the event of rising commodity prices, and gold in particular as South Africa is a major producer of the metal.
• In contrast, the ZAR tends to depreciate in times of market stress as it is considered a risky asset in comparison with other currencies.

There are no particular restrictions on the purchase and sale of ZAR.