• USD/ZAR strengthened on Friday as the rand weakened under pressure from a stronger U.S. dollar and growing investor uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump’s escalating tariff war.
• The rand strengthened on Thursday, supported by the central bank's firm stance in favor of a lower inflation target during its monetary policy announcement..
• The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) presented detailed modeling comparing the economic impact of a 3% inflation target versus the current midpoint target of 4.5% within its 3%–6% range.
• The SARB, which resumed interest rate cuts on Thursday following a pause in March, stated that its Monetary Policy Committee views a 3% inflation target as “more attractive.” It also noted that future policy discussions would continue to include scenario analysis based on this lower target.
• Immediate resistance is located at 18.092(38.2%fib), any close above will push the pair towards 18.350(50%fib).
• Strong support is seen at 17.766(23.6%fib) and break below could take the pair towards 17.650(Lower BB).
Recommendation: Good to sell around 18.000 with stop loss of 18.100 and target price of 17.700
