# South African rand slips as Saudi attacks knock risk appetite - Moneyweb

> The rand weakened on Monday to 14.61 per dollar after a weekend drone attack on Saudi refining facilities knocked out over 5% of global oil supply and sent prices sharply higher. Safe-haven flows favored the yen and Swiss franc, while oil importers' currencies weakened.

- Date: 2019-09-16 · published 2019-09-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: geopolitics · region Saudi Arabia · magnitude high
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/57366-south-african-rand-slips-as-saudi-attacks-knock-risk-appetite-moneyweb
- Commodities: [Crude Oil (Brent)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BRENT.md), [Crude Oil (WTI)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/WTI.md), [South African Rand (ZAR per USD)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/USDZAR.md)

## Why it matters

A sharp oil price spike raises energy and inflation costs for oil-importing emerging markets, weakening currencies and feed buyers' local purchasing power, while supporting energy-linked commodities.

## Read by commodity

- WTI: bullish ▲
- BRENT: bullish ▲
- USDZAR: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BRENT | 2025-06-23 | [South African rand drops to one-month low after US strikes Iran](https://feedsoft.ai/events/24501-south-african-rand-drops-to-one-month-low-after-us-strikes-iran.md) | -11.9% | -9.9% |
| BRENT | 2026-04-23 | [South African rand slips as investors seek clarity on stalled US-Iran peace talks \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/20003-south-african-rand-slips-as-investors-seek-clarity-on-stalled-us-iran-peace.md) | +12.6% | -0.5% |
| BRENT | 2019-09-16 | [Oil surges as Saudi attack focuses market on supply risks](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5707-oil-surges-as-saudi-attack-focuses-market-on-supply-risks.md) | +6.6% | -0.3% |
| BRENT | 2026-05-26 | [South African rand slips on Iran uncertainty ahead of key central bank data \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19550-south-african-rand-slips-on-iran-uncertainty-ahead-of-key-central-bank-data.md) | -9.0% | -22.4% |
| BRENT | 2026-09-14 | [South African rand falls over 1% as oil jumps and investors await Fed meeting \| CNBC Africa](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17768-south-african-rand-falls-over-1-as-oil-jumps-and-investors-await-fed-meeting.md) | -0.2% | +0.4% |
| WTI | 2019-09-16 | [Oil surges as Saudi attack focuses market on supply risks](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5707-oil-surges-as-saudi-attack-focuses-market-on-supply-risks.md) | +5.8% | -0.1% |
| WTI | 2026-10-11 | [Oil Prices Jump 2% on Saudi Attacks as OPEC Sees Demand Rebound](https://feedsoft.ai/events/17243-oil-prices-jump-2-on-saudi-attacks-as-opec-sees-demand-rebound.md) | +7.5% | +4.9% |
| WTI | 2021-03-07 | [Oil price rises above $70 after attacks on Saudi oil facilities](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48297-oil-price-rises-above-70-after-attacks-on-saudi-oil-facilities.md) | -0.7% | -11.2% |

## Sources

- moneyweb.co.za: https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news-fast-news/south-african-rand-slips-as-saudi-attacks-knock-risk-appetite/

---
Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.