The following scheduled economic events, equity and currency market moves may affect South African markets on Wednesday. ECONOMIC EVENTS- South AfricThe South African rand strengthened on Tuesday, benefiting from a weaker dollar after Moderna's (MRNA.O) chief executive said COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant as they have been with other types. The Johannesburg All-Share index (.JALSH) closed 0.67% firmer, while the Top-40 index (.JTOPI) climbed 0.73% due to "bargain hunters mainly. GLOBAL MARKETS Asian stocks rose from a one-year low on Wednesday as U.S. share futures and oil recovered from the previous day's selloff, but uncertainty over the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant kept investors on edge. WALL STREET Wall Street's main indexes closed lower on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that the U.S. central bank would consider speeding up its withdrawal of bond purchases as inflation risks increase, piling pressure onto a market already nervous about the latest COVID-19 variant. GOLD Gold edged higher on Wednesday, hovering close to a one-month low, after the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would discuss ending its bond purchases sooner. EMERGING MARKETS For the top emerging markets news, double click on Compiled by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.a's seasonally-adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for November to be released.