Share

Inflation likely to soften, says Nedbank

Johannesburg - Inflation was likely to soften further as global food and oil prices had declined "significantly", Nedbank's economic unit said on Wednesday.

"Annual consumer inflation surprised to the downside in September... This was lower than our and the market's expectation of 6.1%," it said in a statement.

"Looking ahead, inflation will likely soften further as global food prices have declined significantly and global oil prices have dropped below [US]90 a barrel."

Earlier on Wednesday, Statistics SA said CPI dropped to 5.9% in September from 6.4% in August.

"This is the first month since February that it is below the ceiling of the Reserve Bank's target," Stats SA said.

"The 0.5% drop in the rate was largely because of a 67c/l drop in the petrol price. This is equivalent to a decrease of almost 5%."

The inland price of 93 unleaded petrol was now only 14c more than it was in September 2013.

Food prices were unchanged on average in September, compared to August, bringing the annual rate down to 8.5% compared to 9.4% for August.

The price of maize meal declined by 1.3% over the course of the month. It has increased by only three percent since September last year.

Nedbank's economic unit said there was a possibility that inflation would remain below six percent for a few months before the impact of the weaker rand started coming through in the numbers.

"We had initially pencilled in a 0.25 percentage point rate hike in November, but today's consumer inflation figures decrease the probability," the group said.

"However, much still depends on the trajectory of the currency, which remains extremely vulnerable given the country's large twin deficits and the anticipated changes in global monetary policies."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.15
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.82
-0.6%
Rand - Euro
20.39
-0.5%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.30
-0.5%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.6%
Platinum
950.40
-0.3%
Palladium
1,028.50
-0.6%
Gold
2,378.37
+0.7%
Silver
28.25
+0.1%
Brent-ruolie
87.29
-3.1%
Top 40
67,190
+0.4%
All Share
73,271
+0.4%
Resource 10
63,297
-0.1%
Industrial 25
98,419
+0.6%
Financial 15
15,480
+0.6%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders