Monetary Policy

South African Reserve Bank raises interest rate to 7%, warning that oil shocks, food inflation and global instability could drive prices higher

Inflation in mainland Tanzania is expected to remain within the 3% to 5% target range, supported by stable food supply and exchange rate stability

With low inflation, the monetary policy committee said it is aiming for inflation to settle at 3% — the bottom of its target range — to spur economic growth

Economists are also watching out for whether the central bank will adjust the target for inflation, which for now remains within a 3-6% target band

Governor Lesetja Kganyago said the central bank would wait for the inflation rate to fall within its 3% to 6% target before it makes a cut

Anxiety about governance failures stands to limit our options, just when we need an alternative direction the most

The ANC has made the call for more flexible monetary policy before, but has dithered in seeing it through

The ruling party has repeated its proposal to nationalise the central bank’s ownership and mandate, but says it must be done in a way that is conscious of costs

Investors will watch President Cyril Ramaphosa’s political fate closely, but the best outcome for the rest of us is that the factional battle exposes the ANC’s policy ambivalence

Investors will watch President Cyril Ramaphosa’s political fate closely, but the best outcome for the rest of us is that the factional battle exposes the ANC’s policy ambivalence

Central banks massively underestimated inflation risks as economies bounced back from the pandemic-induced slump

Covid-19 cast the economy adrift, but a less punishing new phase of the pandemic could set it back on track

Without tighter capital controls, regulating the flow of money in and out of their economies, Turkey and South Africa are vulnerable to the whims of the financial markets

The central bank has been criticised for hiking interest rates to the detriment of employment