Economy

  • Zuma denies a crisis with the country's power problems
  • With load shedding a daily occurrence in South Africa as Eskom tries to get on top of maintenance and expand capacity, this is putting major pressure on the economy. So what are the President's and the government's plans to deal with the current issues that are plaguing the country? Let's take a closer look… President Zuma sees the power problems as a “challenge” This morning... ››› more
  • [13 February 2015]
  • The unemployment rate eases over 1% for the last quarter of 2014
  • Earlier today, Stats SA released its quarterly labour force survey detailing the number of people out of work in South Africa for the three months to the end of December. In comparison to the third quarter, there was an improvement. Let's take a closer look at what the data revealed… The unemployment rate dropped to 24.3% The rate of unemployment fell “to 24.3% of the labour for... ››› more
  • [10 February 2015]
  • Load shedding continues to blight SA, putting key industries under strain
  • Yesterday, for the sixth day in a row, Eskom resorted to load shedding. The power utility continued to roll out stage two load shedding, meaning it can cut up to 2,000MW off the grid. And this week isn't looking much better. The issues with the supply of electricity are starting to have a worrying impact on some key industries within the South African economy. Let's take a closer look... ››› more
  • [09 February 2015]
  • South Africa braces itself for yet another day of load shedding
  • This morning, Eskom announced that it would have to implement stage two load shedding again. This comes after the power utility had to move into stage three load shedding yesterday as the national grid was on the brink of collapse. The issues with power supplies in the country are worrying investors, putting pressure on the rand and business confidence. Let's take a closer look at what's ... ››› more
  • [06 February 2015]
  • South Africa's power supply problems put pressure on business confidence
  • Earlier today, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) released its business confidence data for January. The data, as measured by the business confidence index (BCI), showed the worst start to the year since 1997. There are a number of economic reasons for this, including the negative impact of load shedding. Let's take a closer look at what the data revealed… ... ››› more
  • [05 February 2015]
  • Eskom continues stage two load shedding for a second day
  • Yesterday, Eskom had to resort to stage two load shedding after encountering technical problems with several of its power station units. And the problems continue today. Early this morning, Eskom advised that it would be implementing stage two load shedding for much of the day. So why is the power utility struggling to keep the country powered with enough electricity? Let's take a clos... ››› more
  • [05 February 2015]
  • Eskom begins stage two load shedding due to technical faults
  • Yesterday, Eskom surprised with the announcement that it didn't have to begin stage one load shedding as early as planned. But later in the afternoon, the power utility did implement it. But today, the situation of the country's power grid has deteriorated. After beginning stage one load shedding, Eskom has now resorted to stage two. The power utility blames a number of technical faults. ... ››› more
  • [04 February 2015]
  • The rand strengthens as the oil price creeps higher
  • Yesterday, the rand jumped stronger against the dollar as the oil price continued to rise. Traders around the globe are looking to riskier assets again as there are hints the worst of the oil price slump is over, for now. Let's take a closer look at what's going on… The rand strengthened over 1% yesterday This morning, the rand has held onto its gains from yesterday after hitting ... ››› more
  • [04 February 2015]
  • Eskom cancels load shedding as electricity use drops
  • In some welcomed good news, Eskom revealed that it's cancelled its planned load shedding for today. The power utility puts this down to electricity users reducing their consumption. Let's take a closer look at what's going on… Eskom thanks consumers for their part in reducing electricity usage Today, Khulu Phasiwe, a spokesman for Eskom, “praised consumers for heeding the call t... ››› more
  • [03 February 2015]
  • New vehicle sales fall over 1% last month as rental sales ebb
  • Yesterday the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers (NAAMSA) released its new vehicle sales numbers for January. The data showed a fall in new sales over the month after a significant rise in sales in December. Let's take a closer look at what's going on… New vehicle sales contracted 1.2% New vehicle sales dropped “1.2% year-on-year in January to 52,306 units,” repo... ››› more
  • [03 February 2015]
  • One of Eskom's nuclear units is down, but the power utility claims the system is stable
  • Eskom's battle to keep South African powered with enough electricity continues. After Eskom warned last month that the grid would be under severe pressure for the next few months as it tried to get on top of overdue maintenance, one of the company's nuclear units is down. Let's take a closer look at what's going on… Eskom suffers another blow Eskom says that the country’s electr... ››› more
  • [02 February 2015]
  • The rand holds firm after the Reserve Bank keeps interest rates unchanged
  • Yesterday afternoon, the South African Reserve Bank announced that, as expected, it was keeping interest rates unchanged. Since then, the rand has managed to hold its ground. But attention is turning to local data due out this afternoon. Let's take a closer look at what's going on… If consumer inflation continues to ease, the Reserve Bank could slash interest rates The rand manage... ››› more
  • [30 January 2015]
  • The Reserve Bank keeps interest rates unchanged at 5.75%
  • This afternoon, the South African Reserve Bank revealed its decision on interest rates following its first monetary policy committee meeting of the year. As expected, the central bank kept interest rates unchanged. Let's take a closer look at the announcement… The bank’s decision was in line with expectations The governor of the Reserve Bank, Lesetja Kganyago, said that the mone... ››› more
  • [29 January 2015]
  • Producer inflation falls sharply in December
  • Earlier today, Stats SA released its data on producer inflation for December. Again, the rate of producer inflation, as measured by the producer price index (PPI), fell. This is mostly thanks to the continuing fall in the price of oil. The data for the month came in better than expected. Let's take a closer look at what the data revealed… Producer inflation comes in at 5.8% for De... ››› more
  • [29 January 2015]


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