The South African rand was steady on Tuesday as markets monitored anti-immigration demonstrations across South Africa for signs of disruption to economic activity in Africa's largest economy while also digesting fresh domestic economic data.
At 1235 GMT, the rand traded at 16.3925 against the dollar FX_IDC:USDZAR, little changed from its previous close.
Andre Cilliers, currency strategist at TreasuryONE, said that "a peaceful day could allow the rand to recover further, while any escalation may quickly reverse recent gains".
In domestic data, South Africa posted a trade deficit of 1.79 billion rand ($109.43 million) in May and National Treasury figures showed a budget deficit of 14.62 billion rand in the same month.
The South African Reserve Bank said foreign direct investment inflows totalled 20.3 billion rand in the first quarter of 2026.
A survey commissioned by the bank showed inflation expectations rose sharply in the second quarter.
The petroleum ministry said that fuel prices would fall in July as global crude oil prices eased.
On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Top-40 index TVC:SA40 was down about 0.2%.
South Africa's benchmark 2035 government bond (ZAR2035=) was weaker, with the yield rising by 6 basis points to 8.285%.