Africa Economics Update South Africa: rates on hold despite Fed surprise The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) left rates on hold today and gave no indication that any change was likely in the foreseeable future. Growth remains below trend, but policymakers expect... 19th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Rise in capital spending takes edge off deficit concerns An increase in capital expenditure across the region over the past few years means that the general widening in budget deficits may not be as worrying as the headline figures suggest. But there are... 17th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Fed tapering unlikely to put region’s external positions at risk The turbulence in financial markets over the past few months has raised concerns about how emerging markets will perform as global monetary conditions tighten. In the case of Africa, current account... 13th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update External financing risks persist in South Africa South Africa’s current account deficit widened in Q2, and the shortfall continues to be funded in largepart by short-term capital inflows. As a result, the economy remains among the most vulnerable to... 10th September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Subsidy reform key to sustaining fiscal discipline The widening of fiscal deficits in several economies in sub-Saharan Africa over the past few years has increased the importance of subsidy reform. The good news is that policymakers are starting to... 9th September 2013 · 1 min read
Emerging Markets Economics Update EM PMI signals modest improvement in manufacturing Our EM-wide PMI suggests that emerging market manufacturing improved a little last month. The recovery in the euro-zone in recent months appears to have boosted external demand, particularly in... 3rd September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African manufacturing recovery gathers steam The South African manufacturing PMI rose to a six-year high in August, indicating a further uptick in overall GDP growth in Q3. But relatively high wage increases agreed in the past month or so are... 2nd September 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Currencies still under pressure African currencies have come under renewed pressure in August, with the South African rand and the Ghanaian cedi suffering more than most. But while currencies have weakened, local equity markets have... 30th August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigeria on course to become region’s largest economy Economic growth in both South Africa and Nigeria accelerated a little in Q2, but there are important differences in the performance of the region’s two largest economies. In South Africa, GDP growth... 28th August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: pick-up in Q2 GDP masks underlying weakness After growing at its slowest quarterly pace in almost four years in Q1, it was always likely that South African GDP would accelerate in Q2. Nevertheless, the pick-up in growth shouldn’t detract from... 27th August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: currency slump is a double-edged sword The renewed slump in the rand has once again cast a spotlight on some of South Africa’s economic vulnerabilities. But while it is likely to put the balance of payments position under pressure and keep... 21st August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Weak rand to push South African inflation higher South African inflation breached the upper bound of the SARB’s target range in July, and the effects of a weak rand means it is likely to accelerate a little further in the coming months. This will... 21st August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: how is the wage negotiation season progressing? Agreements have now been reached in more than half of the sectors holding talks during South Africa’s current wage negotiation season. However, a lack of agreement in the mining sector means the risk... 15th August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Regional growth likely to have picked up in Q2 GDP data due to be released over the next few weeks are likely to show that economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa picked up in the second quarter of this year. But while regional prospects as a whole... 14th August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa GDP Tracker suggests pick-up in Q2 The Capital Economics South Africa GDP Tracker suggests that the economy picked up pace in Q2, with annualised GDP growth accelerating to around 3.0% q/q, from 0.9% q/q in Q1. 8th August 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Signs of a turnaround in South African manufacturing The South African manufacturing PMI rose to a five-month high in July, pointing to a modest recovery inthe sector. But while this comes as welcome good news, problems in the domestic economy mean... 1st August 2013 · 1 min read
