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Food for Thought
Dr. Roelof Botha
Aug 31, 20232 min read
Balance of payments points to higher growth
Some misleading comments surrounding potential balance of payments constraints have been doing the rounds of late. When analysing the...
155
Dr. Roelof Botha
Aug 24, 20232 min read
Inflation firmly under control
As predicted in a recent edition of “To the Point”, South Africa’s consumer price inflation (CPI) has fallen to well within the Reserve...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Aug 17, 20232 min read
Job creation continues in 2nd quarter of 2023
The latest labour market data released by Statistics SA confirms the resilience of the South African economy, despite slow growth and the...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Aug 10, 20232 min read
Manufacturing sector lacks demand
In sales terms, South Africa’s manufacturing sector swiftly recovered the territory lost as a result of the Covid pandemic, but the...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Aug 3, 20233 min read
Dollar volatility halts rand recovery
Capital markets around the world continue to face unprecedented volatility, mainly due to regular swings in the risk appetite of fund...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jul 27, 20233 min read
Tourism recovery gains traction
Global tourism has recovered well from the negative impact of Covid lockdowns and South Africa is no exception, with a recovery rate...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jul 20, 20233 min read
Total disposable income of households still rising
The Altron-FinTech Household Resilience Index (AFHRI) for the first quarter of 2023 has predictably taken a dip as a result of financial...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jul 13, 20232 min read
Manufacturing sector continues to shine
At its current rate of growth, South Africa’s manufacturing sector is destined to crack the R3-billion level in sales values during 2023....
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jul 6, 20232 min read
Rand recovers on back of lower US inflation
June witnessed one of the highest ever spreads in currency value changes against the US dollar, mainly due to the huge gap between the...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jun 29, 20233 min read
China's economy drops a gear or two
In most countries, the prospect of a 5% economic growth rate would be met with joyful celebration. Not so in China, where the government...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jun 22, 20232 min read
Inflation on its way down
Consumers would have been delighted by this week’s announcement of lower consumer inflation. The May reading of the consumer price index...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jun 15, 20233 min read
NVIDIA joins $1 trillion club via generative AI
The approach of summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere has been accompanied by a proverbial storm in the format of a brand new...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Jun 8, 20233 min read
Recession averted, thanks to growth in key sectors
During the first quarter of 2023, the South African economy managed to thwart the gloomy predictions amongst some economists, posting a...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
May 25, 20232 min read
Further rise in jobs during 1st quarter of 2023
More than a quarter of a million new jobs were created during the first three months of the year, despite a rise in the official...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
May 18, 20234 min read
Rand battered by SA's stance on Russia
The drama surrounding South Africa’s alleged supply of weapons to Russia has now spread from the diplomatic arena to the likely impact on...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
May 10, 20233 min read
Inflation bound to decline further
From the perspective of indebted households and businesses, the latest reading of the producer price index (PPI) is good news indeed....
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Dr. Roelof Botha
May 4, 20233 min read
Good news on the fixed investment front
April turned out to be an exceptionally good month for South Africa’s beleaguered government, which is experiencing the wrath of a...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Apr 26, 20233 min read
Interest rates hurting household finances
The latest reading of the Altron FinTech Household Resilience Index (AFHRI) confirms the mounting financial pressure facing South African...
176
Dr. Roelof Botha
Apr 20, 20233 min read
South Africa does not belong in BRICS
The Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have been in the news lately, but for all the wrong reasons. Apart...
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Dr. Roelof Botha
Apr 13, 20232 min read
MANUFACTURING SALES REMAIN BUOYANT
South Africa’s manufacturing industries have started the year on a high note, with nominal growth in the value of total sales of more...
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