At 0630 GMT, the rand traded at 19.0350 against the dollar, not far from its previous close of 19.0125.
The rand weakened on Monday on risk aversion linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, before gaining sharply on Tuesday and Wednesday on lower U.S. Treasury yields and dovish comments by Federal Reserve officials.
South Africa's currency dropped again on Thursday as U.S. inflation rose more than expected and local economic data points were mixed.
Analysts say the next big local market event will be the mid-term budget on Nov. 1, when South Africa's deteriorating public finances will be in the spotlight.
South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond was slightly weaker in early deals, the yield up 3.5 basis points to 10.705%.
(Reporting by Tannur Anders; Editing by Alexander Winning)
