# Rand rises to R16.64 as factory PMI improves but remains contractionary

> The rand firmed to about R16.64 per US dollar on Monday, from R16.70 earlier in the session. Absa's October manufacturing PMI rose to 49.6 from a revised 48.7 but stayed below the 50 threshold, with new orders at 46.8. Vehicle sales rose 10.4% year on year.

- Date: 2026-11-02 · published 2026-11-03T03:09:40.123Z
- Category: market · region South Africa · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/76902-rand-rises-to-r16-64-as-factory-pmi-improves-but-remains-contractionary
- Commodities: [South African Rand (ZAR per USD)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/USDZAR.md)

## Why it matters

The PMI data points to a still-soft South African manufacturing sector, which can weigh on domestic demand for animal feed. The currency move is small and has little direct effect on feed prices.

## Read by commodity

- USDZAR: bearish ▼

## Sources

- fxnews.ai: https://fxnews.ai/news/usd-zar-strengthens-afternoon-20261102-after-absa-pmi-sales/

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