Africa Economics Update South Africa: Tepid recovery in Q2, rate cut still likely June retail sales figures released today added to the evidence that the economy returned to growth in Q2. But the recovery was soft – we estimate around 1.6% q/q saar – and we still think that... 14th August 2019 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Rand weakness will continue We’ve cut our end-year rand forecast from an already below-consensus ZAR15/$ to ZAR16.5/$. While risks are growing, we’re holding to our view that the SARB will cut its policy rate by 25bp in... 12th August 2019 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Signs point to rebound in Q2 Despite the weak performance of the manufacturing sector, June activity data strengthened our view that South Africa returned to growth in Q2 after a sharp fall in Q1. Combined with recent currency... 8th August 2019 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Update Africa: Learning to live with slower Chinese growth Growth in China is slowing, but fears of a big drag on Africa are overdone. While the Asian giant’s demand for some commodities will soften, it will remain a key trade and investment partner. Indeed... 25th July 2019 · 4 mins read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: CBN puts faith in unconventional policy (again) Nigerian policymakers held their key rate at 13.50% today, and indicated that they will rely on unconventional policy tools to boost lending over the coming quarters. These are, however, unlikely to... 23rd July 2019 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Another cut likely in September Policymakers in South Africa will probably follow today’s 25bp cut with another 25bp of loosening at their next meeting in September. We expect that South African inflation will ease in Q3, while cuts... 18th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Economy strengthened in May Activity data for May suggest that South Africa returned to growth in Q2. We estimate that GDP rose by about 1.0% q/q saar in the three months to May, and that activity strengthened further in June... 17th July 2019 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: CBN rules unlikely to boost lending New regulations from the central bank will probably do little to encourage lending to the private sector. So long as government bond yields remain elevated, banks will prefer to park their money in... 16th July 2019 · 3 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: More evidence of Q2 recovery Activity data for May added to the evidence that the economy rebounded following its contraction in Q1. Even so, we think that the Reserve Bank will cut its policy rate from 6.75% to 6.50% next week. 11th July 2019 · 2 mins read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Ramaphosa has a dream, but few plans South Africa’s president provided essentially no policy detail in yesterday’s ambitious State of the Nation speech. Indeed, he seems to have walked back his plan of a relatively modest restructuring... 21st June 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Activity data point to a better start of Q2 Mining figures for April released today were softer than expected, but stronger conditions in the rest of the economy suggest that the second quarter started on a brighter note. This means that South... 13th June 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update S Africa: SOE worries widespread, but few pose real risks Many of South Africa’s state-owned firms face financial and management troubles, but most – like South African Airways – pose little risk to the wider economy. Eskom and Transnet are the only two... 12th June 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: 2019 set to be even worse than 2018 The surprisingly-sharp 3.2% q/q saar fall in output in Q1 has led us to cut our 2019 full-year growth forecast to a below-consensus 0.5%. Given downbeat survey data for Q2, it is possible that the... 4th June 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Angola: another year of recession The latest developments support our non-consensus view that Angola’s economy will contract again in 2019. Taken together with falling inflation, the central bank’s easing cycle has further to run. 28th May 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: Rates on hold, but cuts likely in July Today’s MPC statement strengthened our view that policymakers at the SARB will cut rates soon. Indeed, a shift in opinion on the council has led us to move our forecast of a 25bp cut forward to July’s... 23rd May 2019 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria: Easing cycle will restart in Q3 Nigerian policymakers voted to hold their key rate at 13.50% today, but the governor’s suggests that they will continue to loosen policy later this year. The governor frequently stressed the need for... 21st May 2019 · 1 min read
