By 0615 GMT the rand was 0.44% firmer at 14.7400, its best since Sept. 5, after an overnight close of 14.8050, bringing gains in the last four months to nearly 4% as bulls piled in with the 14.6500 milestone next target.
Gross domestic product in the three months to June expanded by 3.1%, after a 3.1% contraction in the first quarter. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted an expansion of 2.4% for the quarter. [nL5N25U2A0]
Cooling political tensions in Hong Kong and Italy and the announcement of U.S.-China trade talks for next month sparked inflows into risky assets. [nB9N25400R]
On Wednesday Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said she was withdrawing an extradition bill that had triggered months of often violent protests in the Asian financial hub. [nL3N25V0NC]
Local bonds inched weaker in early trade but remained near 7-week lows, with the yield on the benchmark government issue due in 2026 up 0.5 basis points to 8.1%.
In equities, Impala Platinum reported a swing into an annual profit boosted by higher sales, gains in rhodium and palladium prices, and improved performance at its Rustenburg operations. [nL5N25V5P4]
(Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by Toby Chopra)
