JOHANNESBURG, Dec 21 (Reuters) - South Africa's rand was little changed in thin trade early on Thursday, ahead of the lull in trading sessions that affects the week between Christmas and New Year.

At 0717 GMT, the rand traded at 18.3375 against the dollar , near its previous close of 18.3350.

On the stock market, the Top-40 (.JTOPI) and the broader all-share (.JALSH) indices were about 0.3% lower in early trade.

There are no major economic events scheduled in South Africa this week and the focus will turn towards U.S. inflation figures on Friday.

South Africa's benchmark 2030 government bond was weaker in early deals, the yield up 3.5 basis points to 9.725%.

https://www.reuters.com/markets/currencies/south-african-rand-little-changed-thin-trade-2023-12-21/