The rand was slightly firmer against the dollar on Friday morning ahead as president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration as investors treaded carefully in anticipation of what he would say in his inauguration speech. At 9.09am, the rand was at R13.5182 to the dollar from Thursday’s close at R13.5561. It was at R14.4456 to the euro from R14.4582, and at R16.7088 to the pound from R16.7332. The euro was at $1.6860 from $1.0663. The greenback gained slightly against yen in mid-morning Asian trade following comments from Trump’s treasury secretary pick Steven Mnuchin that the US preferred a strong dollar, Dow Jones Newswires reported. The comment contradicted a statement Trump made to The Wall Street Journal that he would prefer a weaker dollar. The dollar did not hold onto the gains it made in early trade. "The dollar’s upside was also limited because there was nothing new from [Federal Reserve] chairwoman Janet Yellen’s speech at midday. Yellen said she considered it prudent to raise ra...
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