RESERVE BANK NEWS ON FASTMOVING

SA is expected to see a surge in confidence following the elections in May, as the current administration under President Cyril Ramaphosa is continuing to gradually move forward with the implementation of its reform agenda, Moody’s Investors Service said. read more

SA’s electricity tariff increases could push the inflation rate up by 0.75 percentage point, Reserve Bank deputy governor Kuben Naidoo said.  read more

Money supply growth accelerated very slightly, while credit extended to consumers and business grew significantly faster than forecasts. read more

Portfolio investments into the South African economy fell sharply in the second quarter, as investor risk-aversion towards emerging markets rises, Reserve Bank data showed. read more

Growth in credit granted to the private sector accelerated more than expected in June, an encouraging sign from a market that has been relatively subdued since the start of 2018. read more

The Reserve Bank could take a more hawkish stance, though, as a weakening currency puts upward pressure on inflation. read more

Inflation, as measured by the annual change in the consumer price index (CPI), accelerated less than expected to 4.5% in April from 3.8% in March. read more

SA’s foreign exchange reserves shrank 0.9% to $49.54bn in April from $49.98bn in March, the Reserve Bank reported. read more

The Bank’s Financial Stability Review says that SA still has a vulnerable domestic fiscal position. read more

Private sector credit growth rose an annualised 5.74% in February, beating the market consensus of 5.5%, Reserve Bank data showed. read more

The Reserve Bank’s composite leading business cycle indicator increased slightly in September‚ to 98.4 from 97.2 in August. read more

The Reserve Bank disappointed the markets on Thursday by failing to cut the repo rate, noting that a number of risks to the inflation outlook had increased amid heightened uncertainty. read more

The need to speed up economic growth was emphasised on Tuesday, when Reserve Bank figures showed more woes in the first quarter — the current account deficit widened more than expected, and private sector and household spending shrank. read more

Now that MTN has managed to have its fine in Nigeria cut down from $5.5bn to $1.7bn, can we have our money back? read more

SA’s worse than expected economic growth performance in the first quarter of 2016 presages a bleak year ahead. read more

Johannesburg - Strong demand for a sovereign bond issue earlier this month shows foreign investors are acknowledging the robustness of South Africa's democratic institutions and its sound economic fundamentals, the head of its central bank said. read more

Johannesburg - Clicks [JSE:CLS] forecast higher earnings this year, citing expectations that demand for its products will remain resilient despite a weakening outlook for consumer spending. read more

If consumer inflation moderates as expected, and the rand continues its recent rally, this could boost confidence in the South African economy. read more

Johannesburg - South Africa’s consumer confidence index (CPI) recovered from almost 14-year lows in the first quarter, but remained in negative territory as the economic growth outlook remained bleak, a survey showed yesterday (12 April). read more

The risks of SA’s credit rating being downgraded had increased, but how the rand would react to a downgrade was uncertain, Reserve Bank deputy governor Daniel Mminele said on Monday night. read more

The rand softened against the US dollar in morning trade on Tuesday (5 April) ahead of a vote in Parliament to have president Jacob Zuma removed from office. read more

Manufacturing business confidence has tumbled to a six-year low, suggesting that output and job creation in the sector will struggle to improve significantly this year and economic growth will suffer. read more

The Monetary Policy Committee of South Africa has taken a decision to increase the repurchase rate by 25 basis points to 7% per annum, effective from 18 March 2016. read more

Johannesburg - A significant cross-border transaction such as the proposed takeover of SABMiller by larger rival Anheuser-Busch (AB) InBev might require approval from Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, the National Treasury said yesterday.  read more

The World Bank on Monday joined the South African Reserve Bank in revising SA’s economic growth forecasts down, warning that poverty and unemployment remained stubbornly high. read more

South African companies increased their investments abroad last year, which suggests they found better returns and more stable policy environments elsewhere. read more

This will be a data-heavy week, with the latest current account, inflation, and retail sales figures all due to be released. read more

Consumer spending looks set to improve in SA this year as lower inflation, cheaper food, and fuel, and stable interest rates are likely to boost sentiment. read more

Credit growth data released on Friday painted a picture of a subdued economy, with broad M3 money supply growing only an annual 7.38% in December from 8.31% the previous month. read more

Business confidence declined last month as the slide in the rand-dollar exchange rate had a significant effect on sentiment, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said on Thursday. read more

SA needs a more competitive financial sector with a number of new, smaller banks entering the market to help lower costs, particularly for small businesses and poorer households, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). read more

It is almost the end of what has been a tumultuous year for the local economy, which has experienced everything from strikes and power cuts to job losses. read more

South Africa’s current account and fiscal deficits as well as its poor economic growth pose a risk to monetary and fiscal policy, Reserve Bank deputy governor Daniel Mminele said on Friday. read more

As expected, inflation was steady at 5.9% year-on-year last month with the news temporarily lifting the rand to a day’s high of R10.98/$ on Wednesday and supporting the case for interest rates to remain on hold on Thursday. read more

Regent Insurance, part of the financial services division of listed transport and logistics group Imperial Holdings, incurred an unexpected loss of R19 million on the write-down of an investment in African Bank Investments Limited (Abil).  read more

Johannesburg - South Africa’s equity and currency markets went into a tailspin yesterday, with the rand hitting a fresh seven-month low and the JSE’s benchmark indices sliding 2 percent as investors around the world grappled with the prospect of a slowdown in China.  read more

Port Elizabeth - There were no gasps of surprise following the news that SA's inflation rate once again exceeded the upper level of the Reserve Bank’s inflation target in August. Of concern should be the specific categories of products, which keep increasing prices at a rapid rate. read more

Johannesburg - Mining output fell more than expected in July, hitting levels last seen in late 2012 and compounding doubt about whether the Reserve Bank will hike interest rates next week as the economy suffers. read more

The days of high unemployment in South Africa were far from over and the creation of jobs will not be as quick as desired, because of the country’s below-potential economic growth, Reserve Bank governor, Gill Marcus said on Friday. read more

Critical consumer and producer inflation figures are to get a new look. Statistics SA yesterday announced a number of improvements in the way the data are collected and calculated. read more