South African bonds were mixed on Friday morning, but within their recent trading range.The release of US inflation and retail sales in the afternoon could influence the dollar and, in turn, the rand, which is a key driver of local bonds."It is hard to convince anyone to engage a new short [rand-dollar] position at current levels in light of its proximity to the strong support level and an as-yet undecided global market," Standard Bank trader Warrick Butler said in an e-mail note.Markets will pay particular attention to inflation, which is expected to have moderated to an annual rate of 2.1% in December, from 2.2% in January.At 9.49am, the benchmark R186 was bid at 8.585% from 8.600% and the R207 was at 7.290% from 7.280%. The rand was at R12.4456 to the dollar from R12.3898.The US 10-year treasury was at 2.5538% from 2.5553%.
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