South African rand eases after release of local data

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 11 (Reuters) - The South African rand edged lower against the dollar on Thursday following local data releases, including formal sector employment, mining and manufacturing reports, and a business confidence index.

At 1308 GMT, the rand traded at 16.9375 against the dollar ZAR=D3, about 0.2% down from the previous session's close.

South Africa's mining output ZAMNG=ECI rose 5.8% year-on-year in October, Statistics South Africa data showed on Thursday.

Manufacturing production ZAMAN=ECI also rose 0.2% year-on-year in October, surprising economists polled by Reuters who expected factory output to decrease by 1.7%.

The statistics agency also published data that showed South Africa's formal sector employment, excluding agriculture, rose 0.3% quarter-on-quarter to 10.549 million people in the third quarter of 2025.

"A breakdown of the data indicates that part-time employees made up the majority of the hires during the quarter, while only a few full-time jobs were added," said Investec economist Lara Hodes in a note.

For insight on private sector sentiment, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry released its Business Confidence Index ZABCI=ECI which jumped to 132.3 in November from 123.8 in October. The increase was mainly driven by greater overseas tourist numbers.

On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Top-40 index .JTOPI was last up 0.5%.

South Africa's benchmark 2035 government bond ZAR2035= firmed, as the yield fell 5.5 basis points to 8.46%.