The October edition of the Reuters South African Survey of Economists has just been published. (The Reuters Econometer is a measure of economic sentiment drawn from a monthly poll of forecasts by leading economists in South Africa and abroad and presented in the form an index). The weightings used in the index are: GDP growth - 25%; CPIX inflation - 20%; Producer Price Inflation - 5%; Prime Interest Rate - 20%; 10-year bond yield - 5%; Rand-Dollar Depreciation - 25%.

The Reuters Econometer fell for a third consecutive month in October, falling to 235,60, its lowest level since September last year. Confidence in SA’s economy fell as demand and manufacturing capacity is seen taking longer to improve, as a result of the looming increase in power tariffs, which is expected to further

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The June edition of the Reuters South African Survey of Economists has just been published. (The Reuters Econometer is a measure of economic sentiment drawn from a monthly poll of forecasts by leading economists in South Africa and abroad and presented in the form an index). The weightings used in the index are: GDP growth - 25%; CPIX inflation - 20%; Producer Price Inflation - 5%; Prime Interest Rate - 20%; 10-year bond yield - 5%; Rand-Dollar Depreciation - 25%.

The June Econometer fell to a 9-month low on expectations the economy will contract faster than previously expected and the central bank may have reached the end of its interest rate cuts. June’s survey has shown that the economy is expected to contract more than previously expected. Contributing to the further contraction was the

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The May edition of the Reuters South African Survey of Economists has just been published. (The Reuters Econometer is a measure of economic sentiment drawn from a monthly poll of forecasts by leading economists in South Africa and abroad and presented in the form an index). The weightings used in the index are: GDP growth - 25%; CPIX inflation - 20%; Producer Price Inflation - 5%; Prime Interest Rate - 20%; 10-year bond yield - 5%; Rand-Dollar Depreciation - 25%.

After  reaching  a  2-year  high  in  March,  the  Econometer  has  fallen  in  each  of  the  past  two  months.  The lingering weakness in the economy and concerns that the decline in inflation has not been as rapid as previously expected has resulted in the May Econometer falling further to 251,97.

With the confirmation of economic recession coming

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Scorching Hot Food Inflation Today, we are seeing the US dollar go up and gold go down. That's interesting, considering that inflation is nowhere near tamed.U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer: " We are anticipating this year an over 40 percent increase in food price inflation globally, 43 percent approximately." Schafer added: "Of that we can identify two to three percent of that price increase that is driven by biofuels."So Mr. Schafer says something to scare the pants off us -- 43% food inflation. The same number was cited by Edward Lazar, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, in his testimony to the Senate last month. Most people seem to have missed that.At the same time, Schaefer's 2% to 3% figure for biofuel-caused inflation sounds bogus. So what can we believe?If you believe the IMF, the ...