The South African rand was little changed early on Thursday as investors awaited domestic mining production data and lower-than-expected US inflation figures tempered expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates next month.
At 0745 GMT the rand traded at 16.1625 against the dollar, almost unchanged from its previous close.
Statistics South Africa is due to publish June mining production data at 0930 GMT, providing insights into the health of Africa's largest economy.
Mining output fell by 5.4% year-on-year in May and economists expect it to fall again in June.
"For mining, weaker output is likely to reflect elevated input costs and softer commodity prices in some key segments. Although fuel costs moderated in June, they remained significantly higher than a year ago," said Nedbank economists in a note.
