The JSE could be on the back foot on Friday, after the Reserve Bank’s decision not to cut interest rates on Thursday, and with Asian markets falling as the temperature on the Korean peninsula rose again.Wall Street was slightly weaker overnight, with falls of 0.2%-0.5% in the three main indices, and Dow Jones newswires said European markets were expected to open with mild declines.The rand strengthened by about 10c to the dollar on Thursday in response to the Bank’s decision and early on Friday had added to those gains, trading at R13.2622 to the dollar at 6.55am, from Thursday’s R13.2809.The currency could maintain its strength on Friday, with the dollar easing off Thursday’s highs hit in response to the hawkish announcement from the US Federal Reserve, but fear of another North Korean nuclear test could create a risk-averse mood that would go against emerging-market currencies.Gold benefited from the North Korean developments, with leader Kim Jong-un calling US President Donald Tr...
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