* At 0634 GMT, the rand was 0.09 percent stronger at 13.6525 per dollar, little changed from Monday's close in New York.

* The rand has struggled to hold recent gains below the 13.60 technical resistance mark and is seen by traders drifting within a narrow range, with a topside target of 13.78.

* Uncertainty over high-level U.S.-China trade talks, set for Wednesday and Thursday, has dominated global market sentiment at the start of the week.

* The prospects for progress at the talks have been undermined by Washington's placement of criminal charges against China's Huawei Technologies.

* With no major economic releases due locally, market attention also turns to the beginning of the U.S. central bank's policy meeting on Tuesday.

* Bonds opened weaker, with the yield on the benchmark paper due in 2026 up 0.5 basis points to 8.770 percent.