Latest news with #R17.77
IOL News
09-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Rand strengthens below R17,70 amid budget optimism and a softer dollar
Having opened at R17.77 on Monday morning, it continued to trade around that level for the bulk of the day and was at R17.73 as of around 2.30pm. It was last at these levels around mid-December last year. Image: GCIS / File The rand is testing levels below R17.70 to the dollar on a range of factors that include persistent greenback weakness, renewed local confidence following the passage of the third iteration of the National Budget, as well as hints that the inflation target may be dropped to 3% instead of the current 3% to 6% range. Having opened at R17.77 on Monday morning, it continued to trade around that level for the bulk of the day and was at R17.73 as of around 2.30pm. It was last at these levels around mid-December last year. Bianca Botes, director of Citadel Global, explained that the weakening of the dollar has been the biggest short-term driver for the rand. 'When the dollar weakens, often due to softer US economic data or expectations of US interest rate cuts, the rand tends to strengthen,' she said. So far this year, the rand is 5.7% stronger against the dollar, leading the emerging market currency charge, said Botes. The dollar index is softer by 6.6% over the past six months, indicating the broad-based weakness of the currency, she added. Yet, Investec chief economist, Annabel Bishop, stated that the local currency was not gaining ground against the euro and pound. 'US dollar weakness has been driven by the volatility in US tariffs and uncertainty for the US economy and so global growth, as the US has hiked tariffs steeply then paused, or rolled them back, then re-embarked on tariff increases again in April,' she said. Nolan Wapenaar, co-chief investment officer at Anchor Capital, said that, 'perhaps most tellingly,' the weaker greenback, further de-escalation of the tariffs given recent trade talks as well as less political risk will help the local currency. Botes also noted that, as a commodity linked currency, the rand is sensitive to global product prices. 'The prolonged and drastic gold rally, coupled with a weak oil price, assisted the terms of trade and underscored the rand's strength,' she said. Johann Els, Old Mutual's chief economist, said that the rand is benefiting from the recent soothing of global trade tensions, the passing of the National Budget, easing of concerns that the DA won't walk away from the Government of National Unity as well as higher prices of those commodities that South Africa exports when compared with relatively low price of the country's main import of oil. Wapenaar explained that the rand has also strengthened because a 'sensible budget was passed, and tariffs have been paused and softened'. The South African Reserve Bank's (SARB's) cautious approach to interest rates, cutting rates less aggressively than expected, has helped support the rand by maintaining a favourable interest rate differential with the US, said Botes. 'Anticipated US rate cuts later in 2025 could further benefit the rand if local rates remain steady,' she added. 'We also note that the discussion of a 3% inflation target in South Africa is rand positive and should this progress, we will likely see further strength in the rand,' said Wapenaar. On announcing the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee to, as expected, drop the interest rate by 0.25 percentage points on May 21, SARB Governor, Lesetja Kganyago said that dropping the inflation target to 3% would result in South Africa being a low-inflation, low-interest rate country, which would bring with it economic growth. 'The renewed focus on a lower inflation target is also helping as this will not only reduce pressure on the rand, but also lead to lower interest rates over time,' said Els, adding that this would be beneficial for the economy, while also aiding in fixing government finances. 'I see further strength in the rand over the next few weeks and months, moving closer to R17, and potentially into the R16-handle territory on a short-term basis,' Els said. Bishop noted that the US dollar is expected to see further weakness this year, which would add to the rand's strength against the greenback, and the moderate nature of consumer price inflation, with another fuel price cut due this month. 'The rand's strength against the US dollar this year has contributed significantly towards lower inflation in South Africa,' she said. IOL
The Citizen
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Weekly economic wrap: the bleak picture of SA's GDP
Even the Reserve Bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago, echoed the bleak picture, calling the GDP data 'not a pretty picture'. It was a busy week on the economic front with a few announcements, with almost all of them pointing out that the GDP data for the first quarter that showed the economy grew by only 0.1% is indeed correct. Tracey-Lee Solomon, economist at the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) says most of the data releases painted a bleak picture of South Africa's economy. 'Not only was the gross domestic product (GDP) growth dismal, but growth for 2024 was also revised lower to just 0.5%.' Bianca Botes, director at Citadel Global, says the rand strengthened to R17.86/$ before giving back some of its gains. 'The positive move for the rand is largely thanks to a softer dollar and positive news on the national budget.' Busisiwe Nkonki and Isaac Matshego, economists at the Nedbank Group Economic Unit, point out that the rand touched R17.75/$ on Thursday after US private jobs data pointed to a sharp fall in jobs growth in May, with the reading suggesting that US nonfarm payrolls figures could miss market forecasts. The rand traded at R17.77/$ on Friday afternoon. ALSO READ: This is where we would be if SA sustained an economic growth rate of 4.5% Gold starts to shine again, oil price increases OPEC+ and its allies agreed on Saturday to increase oil supply by 411 000 barrels per day in July, matching the additions for May and June, in line with expectations. However, Solomon points out, late-week reports stirred fears that the group might opt for a larger hike. 'This downside surprise, coupled with geopolitical developments, including bombings in Russia and Iran's reaction to a report highlighting its growing stockpile of enriched uranium, shifted market focus to reduced oil supply compared to what was expected at the end of last week. As a result, oil prices increased by nearly 2% over the week.' Botes says the increase in the oil price is partly due to higher demand expected during the summer, as well as concerns that trouble in certain parts of the world could disrupt oil supplies. 'Wildfires in Canada also temporarily reduced the country's oil output by about 7%, although the situation has improved as rain helped control the fires. However, the momentum for higher prices slowed after Saudi Arabia pushed for OPEC+ to boost oil production by over 400,000 barrels per day in August and possibly September, aiming to meet summer demand.' Gold also increased by 1.6% as rising geopolitical and trade tensions boosted demand for the safe-haven asset. Botes says gold prices climbed to around $3,360 per ounce this week, mainly due to recent US economic data, which has been weak, causing investors to seek safer assets in which to invest their money. 'Expectations that the US Fed may not increase interest rates further also made gold more attractive. Gold is on track for a weekly gain of about 2%.' ALSO READ: No fireworks expected, but GDP figures are disappointing — economists South Africa's bleak GDP According to Statistics SA, real GDP expanded by just 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025. This follows downwardly revised growth of 0.4% (previously 0.6%) in the fourth quarter of 2024, which meant that the economy expanded by just 0.5% (from 0.6%) in 2024, down from 0.8% in 2023. Nkonki and Matshego say the meagre 0.1% growth in GDP was slightly better than their and the market's forecasts of no growth. 'Compared to the same quarter a year ago, the economy grew by 0.5%, slower than in the fourth quarter. 'Despite the lower base and patchy picture of the first quarter, we still expect the economy to gain some upward traction in the quarters ahead. The boost will continue coming from consumer demand, which should accelerate as inflation remains subdued, and interest rates decline further, bolstering real incomes and lowering borrowing costs. 'The upside will be capped by slower government spending due to fiscal constraints and sluggish fixed investment, as well as a weaker net trade position caused by fading global growth, subdued commodity prices and persistent policy uncertainties. We expect GDP to grow by 1% in 2025, only moderately better than 0.5% in 2024.' Mamello Matikinca-Ngwenya, Siphamandla Mkhwanazi, Thanda Sithole, and Koketso Mano, economists at FNB, say that while household consumption expenditure growth was maintained, the demand side of the economy reflected ongoing declines in government consumption, exports, and total fixed investment. 'The benefits of the economic reforms implemented so far are taking longer to materialise, as evidenced by the continued weakness in fixed investment. Nonetheless, we still expect growth to increase towards 2.0% by 2027, supported by ongoing structural reforms and cyclical tailwinds, including easing inflation and interest rate cuts, which should bolster household consumption. 'Overall, our near-term forecasts balance weak investment trends with a gradual recovery in consumer spending. However, risks remain tilted to the downside, particularly for fixed investment, given the still-fluid macroeconomic and policy environment. ALSO READ: Warning from industry that Steel Master Plan has stalled Business confidence decreases for first time in more than a year The results of the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index decreased by five points to 40 in the second quarter of 2025 as the recovery that started in the second quarter of 2024 stalled. Matikinca-Ngwenya, Mkhwanazi, Sithole and Mano say, considering the prevailing weakness in private sector investment and subdued business confidence, they revised their 2025 growth forecast down to 1.0%, from 1.3% previously. 'Businesses were aware that a proposed VAT hike was scrapped, although many responded before the release of Budget 3.0. Political uncertainty surrounding the GNU also influenced sentiment, though concerns about its stability eased somewhat during May.' Nkosiphindile Shange, economist at the BER, says this implies that only four out of ten business respondents in the most cyclically sensitive sectors of the economy were satisfied with prevailing business conditions. 'Only wholesale traders saw an increase in confidence, with declines across all other business segments. However, despite the declines, the confidence of retailers and new vehicle dealers remained above the long-term averages.' ALSO READ: Business confidence tanks in second quarter due to pessimism about trading conditions Absa PMI down for the seventh consecutive month The Absa PMI decreased to 43.1 points in May from 44.7 points in April, remaining in contractionary territory for a seventh consecutive month. There were some improvements in business activity and new sales orders, but the supplier deliveries index pushed the headline PMI lower. The S&P Global South Africa PMI was more positive and rose to 50.8 points in May from 50 points in April as output and new orders rose for a second consecutive month. Shange says this is the first time the PMI has been in growth territory since November 2024. Matikinca-Ngwenya, Mkhwanazi, Sithole and Mano say, fortunately, the index for expected business conditions in the near term increased by 13.9 points to 62.5, highlighting a lift in sentiment as external tariffs have been reduced, and local policy uncertainty has abated. ALSO READ: Manufacturing PMI falls to lowest level since April 2020 — bad news for GDP New vehicle sales 22% higher than a year ago According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, new vehicle sales in May 2025 came in at 45 308 units, an increase of 22% compared to a year ago after sales grew by 11.9% in April. Out of the total reported industry sales of 45 308 vehicles, 88.4% represented dealer sales, while 6.8% represented sales to the vehicle rental industry, industry corporate fleets (3%) and government sales (1.8%). Exports, on the other hand, performed poorly and fell by 14.6% compared to a year ago. Nkonki and Matshego note that exports fell to 30 112 units as a major original equipment manufacturer (OEM) halted production for upgrades. ALSO READ: New vehicle sales extended winning streak for a fifth time in May Current account deficit still narrowing The latest data from the Sarb showed that South Africa's account deficit narrowed to R35.6 billion in the first quarter of 2025, from a revised R39.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024. The current account deficit as a ratio of GDP remained at 0.5%, while the trade surplus fell slightly to R221.2 billion from R226.4 billion in the fourth quarter as the value of imports (3.6%) increased more rapidly than exports (2.9%). Nkonki and Matshego say the drop in the nominal figure reflects an improvement in the non-trade deficit (consisting of the services' primary and secondary income accounts), which narrowed due to lower dividend and interest payments. 'Due to subdued trade performance, the current account balance will likely deteriorate this year. Imports are anticipated to outpace exports, driven by a more favourable domestic environment. Subdued inflation, higher real incomes and a relatively resilient rand will continue to bolster import demand. 'Exports face notable downside pressures due to a weaker, uncertain and generally volatile global economy. Export demand will ease on slow growth in key trade economies and softer commodity prices.'
