JOHANNESBURG, Aug 23 (Reuters) – The following scheduled economic event, company announcements, equity and currency market moves may affect South African markets on Friday.

ECONOMIC EVENTS

South Africa’s government will hold its weekly auction of inflation-linked bonds.

COMPANIES

Gold Fields’ profit slumped to $320.7 million in the first half of this year, compared with about $458 million in the same period last year, taking a hit from declining gold output.

Industrial logistics company Grindrod Limited will release its half-year results.

SOUTH AFRICAN MARKETS

The South African rand slipped against a stronger dollar on Thursday as investors awaited Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech for hints on the future interest rate path of the world’s biggest economy.

In the stock market, after hitting record highs earlier in the day, the Top-40 index closed down 0.63%, while the broader all-share ended 0.48% lower.

GLOBAL MARKETS

Asian shares stuttered on Friday while the dollar rebounded from one-year lows as investors were cautious ahead of a speech by the world’s most powerful central banker with markets looking for confirmation U.S. rate cuts would start in September.

WALL STREET

All three major U.S. stock indexes lost ground on Thursday, weighed by technology shares, as Treasury yields rose on easing recession fears and global central bank officials convened at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium.

GOLD

Gold prices inched up on Friday but were set for a weekly decline after slipping from record highs, as the U.S. dollar and Treasury yields rebounded ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech that could give clues on interest rate cuts.

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Some of the main stories out in the South African press:

BUSINESS DAY

– New efforts under way to make SA a building site

– Take-home pay up 5.9% as sentiment brightens

(Compiled by Tannur Anders)