/ 5 April 2000

RAND BACK ON LOWS

THE rand on Wednesday weakened back to 18-month lows touched last week, with traders citing the impact of volatility on world markets, which has triggered a steep slide in domestic shares, and political turmoil in neighboring Zimbabwe. At 12noon, the rand had firmed slightly to R6,58 to the dollar after touching R6,60 earlier in thin trade.