Rand Declines as Moody’s Rating Cuts Hurts Stocks, Commodities
By Robert Brand
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The rand declined against the dollar as stocks and commodity prices fell after Moody’s Investors Service cut debt ratings of six European countries, prompting investors to sell riskier assets.South Africa’s currency retreated 0.5 percent to 7.7228 a dollar as of 8:13 a.m. in Johannesburg, paring its gain in the past 30 days to 5.2 percent. Against the euro, it slipped 0.3 percent to 10.1612.The U.K. and France may be stripped of their top Aaa ratings, Moody’s said as it reduced the debt rankings of countries including Italy, Spain and Portugal on concern economic weakness may threaten austerity programs and reforms. The prices of metals including copper, nickel and platinum declined, and an index of global emerging-market stocks retreated. Raw materials account for 64 percent of South Africa’s exports, according to government data for 2011.“Sentiment has been knocked by Moody’s rating adjustments,” John Cairns and Josina Solomons, currency strategists at Rand Merchant Bank in Johannesburg, wrote in an e-mail today.Spain was downgraded to A3 from A1, Italy was lowered to A3 from A2, and Portugal was reduced to Ba3 from Ba2, all with negative outlooks, Moody’s said. It also cut Slovakia’s, Slovenia’s and Malta’s ratings.The euro, the currency that accounts for 22 percent of South Africa’s exports, weakened for a third day versus the dollar. Regional finance chiefs convene in Brussels tomorrow to decide whether to ratify a 130 billion-euro ($171 billion) bailout for Greece. Italy is planning to auction bonds due in 2014, 2015 and 2017 and Spain is set to sell bills today.South Africa’s 6.75 percent bonds due 2021 dropped, driving the yield two basis points, or 0.02 percentage point, higher to 7.84 percent.