JOHANNESBURG, Oct 9 Reuters South Africa39;s rand edged lower on Wednesday, ahead of the closely watched minutes from the Federal Reserve39;s September meeting.

At 0746 GMT, the rand traded at 17.6125 against the dollar , 0.11 lower than its previous close.

The dollar index was last up 0.17 against a basket of currencies.

Fed minutes due later in the day are expected to provide an explanation for the central bank39;s big interest rate cut last month, and could potentially offer more clues on its interest rate trajectory.

The risksensitive rand is susceptible to global movers like the direction of U.S. monetary policy and its recent weakness was expected ahead of closely watched U.S. data, analysts say.

Uncertainties in the US are keeping the rand under pressure. A stronger USD would make the ZAR relatively weaker, and the Fed39;s messaging regarding interest rate cuts is a key factor here, said Andre Cilliers, currency strategist at TreasuryONE.

On Thursday, September U.S. consumer inflation figures will be released, while domestic investors also turn their focus towards monthly mining and manufacturing data.

On the stock market, the Top40 index was down 0.85.

South Africa39;s benchmark 2030 government bond was stronger, with the yield down 2.5 basis points to 9.210.

Reporting by Bhargav Acharya, Editing by Louise Heavens

Source Reuters