Die ekonomie minuut

While we are waiting for today's inflation figures, there is a chance to talk about something interesting. Economists talk about the Gross Domestic Product and are always worried about the growth of the economy. However, there are people who are critical of GDP as a measure of how the economy is doing. The measurement only takes a guess at the informal sector, it does not take into account damage...

Een van die dinge wat die Monetêre beleidskomittee hierdie week gaan sê is daar is sogenaamde “upside risks” vir inflasie. Dit is dinge wat kan gebeur wat inflasie verder sal verhoog. Omdat daar ʼn kans is dat dit kan gebeur moet hulle voorkomend optree en die repokoers verhoog. Maar wat is hierdie risiko’s en hoe word hulle geweeg? * Die Ekonomie Minuut word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool. Kyk...

One of the things the Monetary Policy Committee is going to say this week is that there are so-called "upside risks" to inflation. These are things that can happen that will further increase inflation. Because there is a chance that this can happen, the Bank must act proactively and increase the repo rate. But what are these risks and how are they weighed? * The Economics Minute is supported by th...

This week, inflation and the repo rate will dominate the economic news. The Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee meets from Tuesday, the June consumer price inflation number will be announced on Wednesday and the repo rate decision on Thursday. Economists expect a further rise in consumer price inflation. It was 5.9% in April, 6.5% in May and is forecast to have been above 7% in June. This mea...

Hierdie week gaan inflasie en die repokoers die ekonomiese nuus oorheers. Die Reserwebank se Monetêre Beleidskomittee vergader van Dinsdag af, Woensdag word Junie maand se verbruikers-prysinflasiesyfer bekend gemaak en Donderdag word die repokoersbesluit aangekondig. Ekonome verwag ʼn verdere styging in verbruikerprysinflasie. Dit was 5,9% in Aprilmaand, 6,5% in Meimaand en die voorspelling is dat...

Business Day het vroeër die week berig dat die mededingingskommissie drie formele klagtes van verbruikers ontvang het oor die hoë pryse van binnelandse vliegkaartjies en dat hulle gaan ondersoek instel. Die manier hoe pryse vas gestel word in die lugvaartbedryf kan ʼn ingewikkelde storie wees, maar dalk is dit so eenvoudig soos ekon-101. * Die Ekonomie Minuut word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Business Day reported earlier this week that the competition commission had received three formal complaints from consumers about the high prices of domestic airline tickets and that they were going to investigate. The way prices are set in the aviation industry can be a complicated story, but it may be as simple as econ-101. * The Economics Minute is supported by the NWU Business School.

Ons weet dat ekonome is bekommerd oor die groeivooruitsigte vir die ekonomie. Soos pryse en rentekoers styg groei die wêreld ekonomie stadiger en in Suid-Afrika het ons infrastruktuur bottelnekke en beurtkrag-uitdagings ook. Daar is voorspellings dat die ekonomie gekrimp het in die tweede kwartaal, maar dit gaan nog tyd neem voordat data vir Junie maand beskikbaar is. Die week is data oor produksi...

We know that economists are concerned about the growth prospects of the economy. As prices and interest rates rise, the world economy grows more slowly and in South Africa, we face infrastructure bottlenecks and load shedding challenges as well. There are predictions that the economy shrank in the second quarter, but it will still take time before data are available for June. This week, data on pr...

Met stygende pryse en stygende rentekoerse moet ons almal spaarsamig te werk gaan. Die afgelope week was daar twee interessante voorbeelde in die media. The Outlier bevind dat Woolies die laagste pryse vra vir hulle mandjie kruideniersware, en Shoprite gebruik kunsmatige intelligensie om vermorsing van voedsel te verminder. * Die Ekonomie Minuut word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

With rising prices and rising interest rates, we must all try to save somewhere. Over the past week, two interesting examples were reported in the media. The Outlier found that Woolies has the lowest prices for its basket of goods, and Shoprite uses AI to reduce food waste. * The Economics Minute is supported by the NWU Business School.

Die rand-dollar wisselkoers het gister verswak tot meer as R17 vir ʼn dollar. Dit is slegte nuus nadat daar verlede week vir die eerste keer in ʼn langtyd ʼn oorverhaling aangeteken is op die prys van brandstof. Die oorverhaling beteken dat gegewe die olieprys en die wisselkoers was die petrolprys eintlik bietjie te hoog en daar sou dalk prys verligting kon wees in Augustus. Maar as die wisselkoers v...

The rand-dollar exchange rate weakened to more than R17 for a dollar yesterday. This is bad news after an over-recovery of the fuel price was recorded for the first time in a while last week. The over-recovery means that given the oil price and the exchange rate, the petrol price was actually a bit too high and there might be price relief in August. But if the exchange rate weakens it will not be...

Kan die regering ʼn geloofwaardige saak uit maak dat ʼn groot deel van Eskom se skuld oorgeneem moet word, maar al verswak die kredietgradering sal ʼn sterker Eskom genoeg krag voorsien om die ekonomie te laat groei, en dan is die groter staatskuld nie ʼn probleem nie? * Die Ekonomie Minuut word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Can the government make a credible case that a significant part of Eskom's debt should be taken over? Still, even if the credit rating weakens, a stronger Eskom will provide enough power to get the economy growing, and then the bigger government debt burden is not a problem? * The Economics Minute is supported by the NWU Business School.

Economists often talk about how the economy as a whole is doing, but it's actually difficult to understand divergent signals and say where we are in the business cycle. We know that inflation is high and to combat this, central banks are raising their lending rates. If consumers then cut back on their spending, businesses find it difficult to pass on price increases and inflation will slowly stabi...

Ekonome praat gereeld oor hoe dit met die ekonomie as geheel gaan, maar dit eintlik moeilik om uiteenlopende seine te verstaan en te sê waar staan ons in die sakesiklus. Ons weet dat inflasie is hoog en om te te bestry verhoog sentrale banke hulle uitleenkoerse. As verbruikers dan hulle besteding terugsny vind verkopers dit moeilik om prysverhogings deur te gee en stadig stabiliseer inflasie. Die...

Even with our high fuel price, the weakening rand-dollar exchange rate and falling stock market, one really gets worried about the economic news from Zimbabwe. The inflation rate is 132%. At that rate, all prices double every two and a half years. Last week, Zimbabwe's central bank increased its lending rate from 80% to 200%. Officially, the Zim dollar trades at 352 for one US dollar; in the paral...

Selfs met ons hoë brandstofprys en die rand en die beurs wat val, skrik mens vir die ekonomiese nuus uit Zimbabwe. Die inflasiekoers is 132%. Teen daardie koers verdubbel alle pryse elke twee en ʼn half jaar. Verlede week het Zimbabwe se sentrale bank hulle uitleenkoers verhoog van 80% tot 200%. Amptelik verhandel die Zim dollar teen 352 vir een Amerikaanse dollar en in die swartmark is die 600 vir...

Between the load shedding and fuel price increases, it is tough going for the economy. Outa says that consumers are at an economic breaking point, the UDM wants to talk about a workable solution to the power crisis and Saai and AgriSA are concerned about the impact that rising input costs and consumers who are struggling will have on the agricultural sector. Solutions are proposed, but few of them...

Tussen die beurtkrag en brandstofprysverhogings gaan dit rof met die ekonomie. Outa sê dat verbruikers is by ekonomiese breekpunt, die UDM wil oor ʼn werkbare oplossing vir die kragkrisis praat en Saai en AgriSA is bekommerd oor die impak wat stygende insetkoste en verbruikers wat swaar kry, op die landbousektor gaan hê. Daar word ook oplossings voorgestel, maar min van hulle verduidelik die koste...

With stage 6 load shedding and 95-octane petrol at R26.74 per liter, many people are wondering, where will the bad news end? Economists typically make forecasts about such things and over the past week, PWC's macro-scenarios report has given us some insight into how the forecasts are made. * The Economics Minute is supported by the NWU Business School.

Met fase-6 beurtkrag en 95-oktaan petrol op R26,74 per liter wonder baie mense, waar gaan die slegte nuus einde kry? Ekonome maak vooruitskattings oor sulke dinge en die afgelope week het PWC se makro-scenarios verslag vir ons bietjie insig gee in hoe die voorspellings gemaak word. * Die Ekonomie Minuut word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Fase-6 beurtkrag is nog met ons en daar is baie berigte oor die impak daarvan op die ekonomie. Dit is seker dat dit die groei van die ekonomie aan bande lê. Presies hoe skadelik dit is, is nie maklik om te bepaal nie, maar hier is ʼn kort opsomming van wat ekonome dink. * Die Ekonomie Minuut word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Stage 6 load shedding is still with us and there are many reports about its impact on the economy. It is certain that this is holding back the growth of the economy. Exactly how harmful it is, is not easy to determine, but here is a brief summary of what economists think. * The Economics Minute is supported by the NWU Business School.