Inflation holds steady in June
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 »
Inflation up slightly in May
Annual consumer inflation was 4,5% in May 2019, slightly up from the 4,4% recorded in April 2019. The inflation rate has remained below the 6% monetary policy ceiling since April 2017. During this time inflation has averaged 4,7%. Prices increased by 0,3% on average in May. This was mainly driven by a 3,3% rise in read more »
Pondering #NationalWineDay
25 May is National Wine Day! Here are a few fun facts to muse over if you’re planning to enjoy a glass or three. SA households spend more on wine than on coffee South Africans have clear priorities when it comes to drink. Wine takes up 7,2% of total household expenditure on alcoholic and read more »
Inflation edges slightly lower in April
Annual consumer inflation softened to 4,4% in April 2019 after hitting a three-month high of 4,5% in March 2019. While food inflation remains quite stable, rising petrol prices continue to place pressure on consumers. Inflation has remained within the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) target range of 3–6% for two years (since March 2017). The read more »
Stats Biz – April 2019
If you’re a hardcore Game of Thrones fan planning viewing parties for the final (eighth) season, historical data from Stats SA’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) release provides a glimpse of how viewing party expenses have changed over the last eight years. Some of the figures might surprise you. Explore dragons, castles, decoders and wine, as read more »
Medical aid and transport costs nudge inflation higher
Consumer inflation edged up slightly from 4,0% in January 2019 to 4,1% in February 2019, remaining firmly within the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) inflation target range of 3%–6%. Notable drivers behind the rise were medical insurance and transport costs. Stats SA surveys health insurance fees in February of each year. On average, medical-aid schemes read more »
Falling fuel prices drag inflation down
Consumer inflation dropped to 4,0% in January 2019 from 4,5% in December 2018. This is the lowest annual rate since March 2018, when headline inflation came in at 3,8%. The actual index level is now lower than it was in October 2018, according to Stats SA’s latest Consumer Price Index release1. This means that, on average, read more »
Dismal December for retailers
The most important month of the year for retail trade is December, when many consumers are on holiday and go Christmas shopping. But December 2018 was a tough month for retail in South Africa. The volume of sales fell by 1,4% year-on-year, which was the first negative annual growth rate since February 2017. The poor read more »
Fuel inflation remains in double-digit territory as prices rise
It might sound like an anecdote from a reminiscing grandparent, that there was a time you could completely fill your petrol tank (45 litres) with just R270. Those good old days weren’t that long ago, actually. The price of inland 95-octane petrol fell to a low of R6,01 in January 2009 on the back of tumbling read more »
Mbalo Brief – September 2018
September is Albinism Awareness Month. During this month, the Department of Health provides information on albinism to make people more aware of what this condition entails and to highlight myths and superstitions regarding people with albinism. Albinism is an inherited condition where a person is unable to produce normal colouring of the skin (lack of read more »