Rand, Bonds Fall as South Africa Junk Rating Triggers Index Exit
- JPMorgan says it will remove South Africa from bond gauges
- Fitch cuts foreign-currency, local debt on political risks
South Africa Ratings Cut to Junk by Fitch
South Africa’s rand and dollar bonds fell after Fitch Ratings Ltd. became the second company to cut the country’s credit assessment to junk, triggering sales by some investors tracking investment-grade debt indexes. JPMorgan Chase & Co. said it would remove South Africa from gauges tracked by $59 billion of funds.
President Jacob Zuma plunged South Africa into a political crisis when he fired Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in a cabinet purge just after midnight on March 31, prompting a drop in the rand and triggering a downgrade to junk from S&P Global Ratings. The move by Fitch means the country’s foreign-currency debt will now be considered sub-investment grade, and brought the local-currency assessment to the cusp of junk.