Africa Economics Update Solid but unspectacular outlook for South African retail sector Growth in South African retail sales beat consensus expectations in November. But with consumer confidence falling due to rising inflation and fears over job security, the outlook for private... 17th January 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African PMI slumps again The slump in South Africa’s PMI reading for December indicates that the manufacturing sector continued to feel the effects of weak demand from key export destinations, as well as constraints in the... 16th January 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: another tough year ahead South African markets have enjoyed a stellar start to 2013. Equities have surged to new record highs, while bond markets have shrugged off recent ratings downgrades. But while the markets have rallied... 14th January 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Big shifts in monetary policy unlikely in the first half of 2013 A combination of renewed optimism over the state of the global economy and an acceleration in regional inflation suggests that the interest rate cuts that had looked imminent in some parts of sub... 3rd January 2013 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Africa to outperform in 2013 Growth across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has held up relatively well in the last few months of 2012. This is despite a weak global backdrop and the continued sluggish performance of South Africa, the... 18th December 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update What to expect from the ANC Elective Conference News that South Africa’s deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe will challenge incumbent president Jacob Zuma for the leadership of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) has added an extra layer of... 13th December 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: a weak start to Q4 A slew of data released this morning indicate that after slowing sharply in Q3, the South African economy got off to a poor start in Q4. But with inflation likely to accelerate further in the coming... 11th December 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa's current account deficit still a concern South Africa’s current account deficit was not as wide as expected in Q3, but the fact that it is being funded in large part by portfolio inflows means that external financing risks persist. The... 7th December 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African manufacturing remains weak The small uptick in the South African manufacturing PMI in November suggests that the sector willnarrowly avoid a contraction in output in Q4, but does little to change the underlying picture of... 3rd December 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Chart Pack Nigeria remains the outperformer Sub-Saharan Africa’s three major economies – South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya – have experienced mixed fortunes in the second half of this year. Early estimates of Q3 GDP for Nigeria suggest that the... 30th November 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa: growth to remain subdued in 2013 South African GDP growth was worse than expected in Q3, and the outlook for the coming quarters is not very promising either. With strikes continuing to affect the mining sector, and signs of a... 27th November 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa holds rates, easing to come next year The South African Reserve Bank kept its benchmark repo rate on hold at 5.00% today, but the prospect of subdued growth and easing inflation suggests that a rate cut is likely in 2013. 22nd November 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South Africa GDP Tracker suggests marked slowdown in Q3 The Capital Economics South Africa GDP Tracker suggests that the economy slowed sharply in the third quarter of this year. We think annualised growth dropped to 1.5% q/q, from 3.2% q/q in Q2. This... 16th November 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update Elections take centre stage The recent peaceful transitions of power following elections in Senegal and Zambia demonstrate that the threat of voting-related violence in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been receding in the past few... 13th November 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African CPI reweighting doesn't alter rate outlook The new weights assigned to components of the South African CPI basket, which are due to come into effect in January 2013, will have only a marginal impact on overall inflation. As such, the... 8th November 2012 · 1 min read
Africa Economics Update South African PMI now consistent with GDP contraction South Africa’s manufacturing PMI slumped further in October, and is now at a level consistent with an outright contraction in GDP. 1st November 2012 · 1 min read
