Rand flat before release of census results

The rand was broadly unchanged in early trade on Tuesday ahead of the release of the results of a national census.

At 0607 GMT, the rand traded at R19.33 against the dollar.

The census is the fourth in post-apartheid South Africa and the first in over a decade.

On Monday the rand tumbled as violence in the Middle East stoked risk aversion on global markets.

“In a world of so much uncertainty, it is not surprising to see the (dollar-rand pair) unable to adopt any clear-cut directional momentum. It is trading in a tight range, and investors are waiting for the dust to settle,” ETM Analytics said in a research note.