Africa Economics Update South African GDP growth slumps in Q1 South African GDP growth was slower than expected in Q1, and the outlook for the coming quarters is not very promising either. Nevertheless, the fresh sell-off in the rand leaves the Reserve Bank with... 28th May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: rates on hold as rand plummets The collapse in the rand over the past week or so means that, despite the continued weakness of South Africa’s economy, there is little room for the Reserve Bank to loosen monetary policy. In fact, it... 23rd May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Nigeria resists government pressure to cut rates The Central Bank of Nigeria resisted government pressure to cut interest rates this afternoon, but we suspect that a combination of below-trend growth and sub-10% inflation will pave the way for... 21st May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa GDP Tracker suggests small pick-up in Q1 Following today’s release of retail sales data for March, the Capital Economics South Africa GDP Tracker suggests that the economy picked up a little pace in the first quarter of this year. We think... 15th May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update What next for inflation across the region? Inflation is likely to slow across West Africa in the near term, meaning that interest rate cuts are still a possibility. By contrast, inflation is likely to accelerate in East and South Africa. In... 3rd May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African manufacturing makes a better start to Q2 South Africa’s manufacturing PMI for April suggests the sector may have rebounded a little at the start of Q2 having stagnated in Q1. But a combination of sluggish external demand and domestic... 2nd May 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Still a region of "two-speed" growth The latest data for South Africa suggest that the economy picked up pace in Q1, supported in large part by a rebound in mining production after last year’s strikes. Elsewhere in the region, although... 26th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Weak rand to provide limited relief for South African manufacturers Growth in South Africa’s manufacturing sector appears to have stagnated in the first quarter of 2013, but some policymakers have suggested that production could soon pick up as a weaker rand helps to... 24th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Effects of a Chinese slowdown to vary across the region An economic slowdown in China is likely to drag on growth in sub-Saharan Africa, but the more important point is that the effects will vary from country-to-country. Zambia is probably the most... 22nd April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update How would a slump in gold prices affect South Africa? The sharp drop in gold prices over the past week or so has led to a sell-off in South Africa’s stock market, but the sector’s declining importance to the overall economy means that, so long as further... 19th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: inflation to breach target, but only temporarily South African inflation is likely to rise above the Reserve Bank’s 3-6% target range in the near term, possibly as early as this month. Nevertheless, any spike should prove temporary, and inflation is... 17th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Focus A closer look at South Africa's current account vulnerabilities The sharp widening of South Africa’s current account deficit in 2012 has grabbed most of the headlines, but the more worrying issue is the deterioration in the quality of capital inflows that are... 15th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African mining rebounds, but still faces headwinds The strong rebound in South African mining output in the early part of 2013 suggests that the sector made a decent contribution to overall GDP growth in Q1. But nevertheless, the sector still faces a... 11th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Regional growth holding up well despite external headwinds GDP data released over the past week or so show that, while growth in a number of sub-Saharan Africa’s smaller economies slowed in the latter part of 2012, the region was still one of the world’s... 5th April 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Eurobond yields unlikely to rise sharply After falling in 2012 and early 2013, yields on African eurobonds have edged up over the past few weeks. However, the sell-off in the bond market has not been confined to Africa, as the spread over... 27th March 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Kenyan elections pass peacefully but risks still linger Events in sub-Saharan Africa have been dominated by presidential elections in Kenya. By past standards at least, the vote was peacefully and markets have remained stable. The shilling has actually... 26th March 2013 · 1 min read
