Global equity markets fall over growth concerns - Bloomberg 

Stocks fell and bonds ticked higher as concern over economic growth and trade disputes sent global equity markets toward their first weekly loss since December.

Oil and most industrial metals dropped, while the yen nudged higher.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index was dragged lower for a second day by automakers and technology shares.

Stocks tumbled in much of Asia along with US equity futures following news that President Donald Trump is unlikely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping before the March 1 deadline for more tariffs, re-igniting fears over further protectionist measures.

Japanese shares led declines in Asia, and Hong Kong stocks pared an early slide as trading resumed after a three-day holiday. China’s markets remain shut for Lunar New Year.

Investors are calling for a time-out on the risk rally that began around Christmas as central banks and governments from Brussels to Sydney cut growth forecasts.

The European Commission made sweeping downward revisions to most of the region’s major economies Thursday and the Bank of England said it expected the UK economy to grow at its slowest pace in a decade. T

he Reserve Bank of Australia lowered its growth and inflation forecasts Friday.

“Many of the central banks are reacting to the fact that the global economic situation has worsened,” Komal Sri-Kumar, founder and president at Sri-Kumar Global Strategies, told Bloomberg TV from Los Angeles.

Australia’s dollar dropped to a five-week low after its central bank’s announcement, which followed a declaration by its governor earlier in the week of a shift to a neutral policy stance.

Elsewhere, WTI crude oil fell toward $52 a barrel in New York while gold erased an earlier gain.

Iron ore futures topped $90 a ton to hit the highest level since 2014 on concern that the increasingly severe crisis at top producer Vale SA will reduce global supplies

The rand is unchanged from Thursday afternoon's levels of R13.6450/$, TreasuryONE said in a note on Friday morning.

Global growth concerns continue to see a move to the dollar.

In the view of TreasuryONE, President Cyril Ramaphosa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday evenin did not reveal anything new as he touched on Eskom, job creation, land expropriation, foreign investment and tourism amongst other things. Eskom is to be split into three different entities in the latest turn around strategy.

Barriers to foreign investment are to be lifted to attract investors and create jobs. Tourism to be boosted in order to double the current number if visitors with a specific focus on China and India.

The next focus will be on the national budget on 20 February.