South Africa’s annual inflation rate was 4,5% in January, higher than that recorded in December (4,0%) and November (3,6%). This places inflation right on the 4,5% midpoint of the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy target range. The main contributors to the 4,5% rate were food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing and utilities; transport; and miscellaneous   read more »

After rebounding by a revised 3,2%1 in the second quarter of 2019, activity in the South African economy slipped slightly in the third quarter. Mining, manufacturing and transport were the biggest drags on growth in gross domestic product (GDP). Mining was down by 6,1%, driven largely by a fall in the production of platinum group   read more »

Stats SA provides a snapshot of working capital across the formal business sector in the latest release of the Annual Financial Statistics (AFS) report. Working capital is a measure of a company’s liquidity and is one of a number of measures that provide insight into a company’s ability to pay off debt. To calculate working   read more »

South African annual consumer inflation slowed in September, falling to 4,1% from 4,3% recorded in August. The inflation rate has hovered between 4% and 5% since December last year and has been below 4,5% for the past three months. More significantly, it has remained below the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) 6% monetary policy ceiling   read more »

The June 2019 Quarterly Employment Survey, released by Statistics South Africa, showed that an estimated 10 172 000 people were employed in the formal non-agricultural sector of the South African economy, which is down by 2 000 from the 10 174 000 recorded in the previous quarter. Full-time employment decreased by 26 000 to 9 103 000, and part-time employment increased by 24 000   read more »

After shrinking sharply in the first quarter of 2019, the economy rebounded from a low base to record positive growth of 3,1%1 in the second quarter (April−June). Mining, finance, trade and government services were the main drivers of growth. Three industries (construction, agriculture and transport) registered a slump in production. Mining was the strongest performer   read more »

Annual consumer price inflation retreated to 4,0% in July from 4,5% in June. This is the lowest CPI headline rate since January, when it was also 4,0%. A fall in fuel prices and a rise in municipal tariffs were the key price movers during the month. Fuel prices edged lower in July, bringing some relief   read more »

The results of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the second quarter of 2019, released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), indicate that the official unemployment rate increased by 1,4 percentage points to 29,0% compared to the first quarter of 2019. The number of unemployed persons increased by 455 000 to 6,7 million in Q2:   read more »

Annual consumer price inflation was 4,5% in June 2019, unchanged from May 2019. The main contributors to annual inflation were food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing and utilities; transport; and miscellaneous goods and services. Housing and utilities make up almost one quarter of the total consumer price index (CPI) in terms of weight (or relative importance).   read more »

Wherever you go, you transform the landscape. Imagine living the entirety of your life in the map below. Your daily routine might resemble a zig-zagging pattern as you move across the square cells of the grid. Where you choose to live, work, commute, shop, socialise and play – you influence the economic, social and environmental   read more »