The South African rand weakened to around 17.3 per USD, the lowest level since October 22, as the dollar gained ground following Fed's Powell cautious tone. While policymakers delivered a widely-expected rate cut, Powell noted that a December cut is not guaranteed, prompting investors to scale back bets on additional easing. Traders also weighed the trade deal made by US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, given China’s role as a key partner for South Africa. On the domestic data front, PPI inflation mirrored the consumer inflation trend, edging slightly higher in September. Meanwhile, the South African Reserve Bank is likely to maintain its policy rate at 7% at its November 20 meeting to guide inflation toward its new 3% goal.