Earlier today, Stats SA released its gross domestic product (GDP) data for the second quarter of the year.
The data surprised showing a sharp contraction despite economists expecting the economy to have grown during the three months.
So what's to blame for the slump?
Read on to find out more…
The South African economy contracts 1.3%
GDP data showed that the “economy contracte... ››› more
The Bank of America Merrill Lynch recently published new data that ranks countries according to how risky they are.
The ranking comes from how likely it is that a country will default on its sovereign debt.
South Africa ranks just outside the top ten.
Let's take a closer look at what this means for SA…
The risk of defaulting on sovereign debt
Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s ... ››› more
The rand has been on a downward trend this year. And over the past couple of weeks, the currency has been under even more pressure.
So what's going on with the rand? And does a weaker rand mean much higher inflation and interest rates?
Read on to find out…
The rand is trading at 14 year lows
The rand is currently sitting at levels not seen since 2001. The situation doesn’t look ... ››› more
The rand has fallen sharply this month. Yet, in spite of this, an ample fuel price cut looks likely at the beginning of September.
This is thanks to the lower oil price.
So how much could you be looking to save at the pumps?
Read on to find out…
Fuel prices look set to fall by over 50c a litre
The Automobile Association of South Africa predicts a large fall in the fuel price ne... ››› more
Earlier today, Greece surprised the markets by posting economic growth of 0.8% for the second quarter of this year.
Analysts expected a contraction in economic growth over the period.
Let's take a closer look…
Greece reports economic growth against the odds
The Greek “economy unexpectedly returned to growth in the second quarter despite political turmoil” and the chance of an ... ››› more
As 2015 continues, South Africans have had to contend with more than their fair share of load shedding.
Whilst Eskom battles to get on top of its maintenance programme and bring new power plants online, power cuts have become an unsavoury normality.
And it's not going to end anytime soon.
Let's take a closer look…
South Africans will have to contend with load shedding for another... ››› more
Earlier today, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) released its business confidence data for July.
The business confidence index recovered from lows not seen since 1999.
So what's behind the small rise? And how can business confidence improve going forward?
Let's take a closer look…
Business confidence rose to 87.9
The business confidence index (BCI) came... ››› more
From midnight, a fall in the price of petrol will offset the hike seen at the beginning of July.
International oil prices have helped to lower the cost of petrol in spite of the rand's weakening trend.
Let's take a closer look at what's going on…
The petrol price is falling more than forecast
Two weeks ago, data released by the Central Energy Fund suggested that a petrol price dro... ››› more
Whilst Europe and the UK face deflation, South Africa is contending once again with rising inflation.
So what impact does inflation have on the stock market and shares? And what about the effect of hyperinflation on stocks?
Read on to find out more…
The two main effects of inflation on the stock market
Inflation can impact the stock market in two main ways…
The first i... ››› more
Earlier today, Stats SA released its consumer inflation data for last month.
Whilst the key economic indicator came in marginally higher than May, it was much lower than economists expected.
Let's take a closer look at what the data revealed…
Consumer inflation hit 4.7% in June
Stats SA announced that the consumer price index came in at 4.7% for June, reports Fin24. This is 0.1% ... ››› more
The South African Reserve Bank's monetary policy committee is in the midst of a meeting.
Tomorrow South Africans will find out whether the central bank is hiking interest rates. With inflation creeping higher, it looks like the chances of a hike are increasing.
Let's take a closer look at what's going on…
The Reserve Bank has indicated raising interest rates is a possibility
The R... ››› more
Yesterday saw the release of the latest South African Tourism Business Index. The index showed a stark drop in tourism over the second quarter of the year.
Taking the blame for the drop in the index are new visa restrictions along with a number of other factors.
Let's take a closer look at what's going on…
South Africa tourism hits a four year low
The latest Tourism Business Index... ››› more
The oil price has come down over the month so far. This is raising hopes that the petrol price will follow after hikes over the past few months.
But the Automobile Association (AA) warns against motorists pinning hopes on the petrol price coming down as the rand continues to trade at weak levels against the dollar.
Let's take a closer look at what could lie in store for the price of petrol a... ››› more
Following overnight talks, Greece has reached a deal with its creditors.
This follows Greece missing a multibillion euro payment to the International Monetary Fund two weeks ago. This led the country to close its banks and to impose strict controls on bank withdrawals.
So what does the new bailout deal entail? And will Greece remain in the Eurozone?
Let's take a closer look…
Gree... ››› more
Earlier today, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) released its business confidence data.
The index revealed a hefty slide since last month.
This takes business confidence down to levels not seen since 1999.
Let's take a closer look at what's going on…
The business confidence index fell to 84.6 points
The business confidence index slid “to 84.6 points ... ››› more