JOHANNESBURG, March 18 Reuters South Africa39;s rand weakened in early trade on Monday, at the start of a week that will include South African inflation figures and several major central bank rate decisions.

At 0705 GMT, the rand traded at 18.8000 against the U.S. dollar , about 0.3 weaker than its previous close.

The dollar was last trading down about 0.04 against a basket of global currencies.

Central banks in the United States, Japan, UK and Australia will all announce rate decisions this week, with most expected to leave policy unchanged.

Locally, investors39; focus will be on February inflation figures which will be released on Wednesday.

The rand could be in for a volatile week as it will have to navigate some risks in the U.S. dollar, where inflation is still proving a little tough to tame, said Andre Cilliers, Currency Strategist at TreasuryONE.

Should the Fed minutes come out a little dovish, we could see the rand trending stronger, he added in a research note.

On the stock market, the Top40 index was up 0.73 while the broader allshare was 0.63 higher in early trade.

South Africa39;s benchmark 2030 government bond was weaker in early deals, with the yield up 2 basis points to 10.385.

Reporting by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

Source Reuters