South African bonds were marginally softer shortly before midday on Monday, while the rand was steady, as investors watched for key domestic and international risk events this week. Policy statements from central banks in the US, UK and EU are expected this week, while markets will also be watching for possible domestic political developments, ahead of the ANC elective conference at the weekend. Despite the unsettled political domestic landscape, the usual pre-weekend politically driven jitters appeared to be less of a factor on Friday, Sasfin Securities bond analysts said. Investors seemed to be becoming numb to the mudslinging and posturing by the incumbents, Sasfin said. On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve bank is widely expected to raise its target rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%-1.5% when it meets. This had been priced in by the market, but investors would closely scrutinise commentary by Fed officials on future interest rates in 2018, analysts said. The European Central Bank...
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