A weaker rand by the end of the first quarter next year is on the cards. Standard Bank economists commented recently: “We are adjusting our forecast for the rand weaker to the big figure of USD/ZAR9.00 from 8.75 to reflect what we see as an adverse tilt in the balance of risks either side of the trading range of roughly 8.50 to 9.00 that the rand has occupied since early October.”