South Africa's rand steady, stocks to open higher

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's rand held its ground early on Monday and was seen getting a boost from improved risk appetite as investors search for higher yields on expectations interest rates will stay low in leading economies. At 0630 GMT, the rand traded at 14.5825 per dollar, not far off its New York close of 14.5750 on Friday. "The much-stronger-than-expected (U.S.) payrolls figure has not hurt global risk appetite or the rand. The market has taken the figure as confirmation that the US economy is not slowing down but not so strong that the Fed will have to hike " Rand Merchant Bank analyst John Cairns said in a note. "A rate cut from the Bank of England on Thursday would further encourage risk-taking." Several U.S. Federal Reserve officials are scheduled to speak this week, offering plenty of opportunities for the market to glean clues about policy. [MKTS/GLOB] Stocks were set to open higher at 0700 GMT, with the JSE securities exchange's Top-40 futures index up more than 1 percent. In fixed income, the yield for the benchmark instrument due in 2026 dipped 2 basis points to 8.685 percent. (Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo; Editing by Andrew Heavens)