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Annabel Bishop

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South Africans could face rising living and borrowing costs after inflation accelerated to 4% in April, with economists warning that fuel-driven global price shocks — not domestic demand — are complicating the South African Reserve Bank’s interest rate outlook
ANNABEL BISHOP

Inflation holds firm in May

Still-sticky inflation could further delay long-awaited interest rate cuts

  • Sarah Smit
1 min read
The 14-day period to form a government is one of the issues that has been identified as a stumbling block in the formation of well-considered and stable coalitions. (Esa Alexander/Sowetan/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
MULTIPARTY CHARTER

Market on tenterhooks amid coalition talks

As the 14 days to announce a coalition government commences, investors are nervous and the rand is flat

  • Anathi Madubela
3 min read
The South African Reserve Bank is likely to hold interest rates unchanged
ANNABEL BISHOP

Disinflation uncertainty could push interest rate cuts to 2025

The US Federal Reserve’s ‘higher for longer’ stance and local election jitters have weighed on the rand, adding to price pressures This content is restricted to registered users…

  • Sarah Smit
1 min read
The Reserve Bank has maintained the repo — at which it lends to commercial banks — steady at 8.25% for five consecutive meetings, since hiking it by 50 basis points in May 2023.
ANNABEL BISHOP

SARB will hold off on rate cuts until July, experts predict

Today’s monetary policy committee meeting comes in the wake of a surprise acceleration in South Africa’s annual inflation rate

  • Sarah Smit
2 min read
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. Photo: Dwayne Senior/Getty Images
GOLD AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTINGENCY RESERVE ACCOUNT

Move to tap forex reserve is ‘sensible’

Commentators are cautiously positive about the treasury’s decision to use the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account

  • Sarah Smit
5 min read
South Africans could face rising living and borrowing costs after inflation accelerated to 4% in April, with economists warning that fuel-driven global price shocks — not domestic demand — are complicating the South African Reserve Bank’s interest rate outlook
ANNABEL BISHOP

Inflation slows again, but interest rate cut is probably still off the table

After the release of the December inflation data, Investec chief economist Annabel Bishop said the Reserve Bank is likely to remain hawkish amid upside risks This content is…

  • Sarah Smit
1 min read
Photo: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images
ANNABEL BISHOP

Inflation’s defeat is an empty victory

This year will finally see interest rates fall. But whatever relief the Reserve Bank administers, it will have come too late for some

  • Sarah Smit
4 min read
The South African Reserve Bank is likely to hold interest rates unchanged
ANNABEL BISHOP

Inflation rises towards Reserve Bank’s upper limit, pointing to rate hikes down the line

Despite inflation coming within a hair’s breadth of 6%, there is still reason to believe that the central bank will hold interest rates this week

  • Sarah Smit
2 min read
While a higher inflation rate may otherwise inspire increased hawkishness in the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy committee — which meets this week — analysts expect that the repo rate will be kept on hold again. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
ANNABEL BISHOP

Reserve Bank expected to look past slight inflation uptick

Inflation accelerated to 4.8% year-on-year in August, up from 4.7% in July, according to data from Statistics South Africa

  • Sarah Smit
2 min read
Consumer confidence has rebounded from the low recorded in the second quarter, but it remains firmly within depressed territory. Photo: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg/Getty Images
ANNABEL BISHOP

Depressed consumer sentiment lifts slightly

The improvement in confidence was helped by the change in attitude of affluent consumers, who were spooked by severe load-shedding and the Russian cargo ship debacle in the…

  • Sarah Smit
3 min read
South Africa’s economy expanded by a marginal 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025
ANNABEL BISHOP

SA’s economy records better-than-expected growth

A boost to manufacturing and agriculture’s rebound has seen the country’s GDP expand 0.6% quarter-on-quarter

  • Sarah Smit
3 min read
with interest rates expected to remain elevated for some time, prospective homebuyers may be better off holding back a little while longer. Photo: Jacques Stander/Gallo Images
ANNABEL BISHOP

EXPLAINER: Even as inflation falls, homebuyers hold off

Interest rates will probably remain much higher than their pre-pandemic average, as the Reserve Bank guards against ongoing inflation risks

  • Sarah Smit
5 min read
(Phill Magakoe/Getty Images)
ABSA

El Niño, the next inflation frontline

South Africa, and the world, seem to be emerging out of an inflation-induced economic malaise. But as the world heats up, so will prices

  • Sarah Smit
4 min read
The decision to form a unity government has been broadly welcomed by economists.
ANNABEL BISHOP

Not out of the woods yet, SA’s economy braces for another blow

The country’s economy expanded 0.4% in the first quarter, but analysts warn not to expect growth or recovery anytime soon

  • Sarah Smit
5 min read
ANNABEL BISHOP

Inflation eases to 11-month low

The rand strengthened ahead of Wednesday’s inflation data, but it still held above R19 against the dollar

  • Sarah Smit
2 min read