Die ekonomie minuut

A week is a long time in politics and ten days without the Economics Minute feels even longer. I thought I'd start with a brief summary of the indicators we missed. This episode is supported by the Bureau of Economic Research in Stellenbosch and the NWU Business School.

ʼn Week is lank in die politiek en tien dae sonder die Ekonomie Minuut voel nog langer. Ek het gedink om te begin met ʼn kort opsomming van die aanwysers wat ons gemis het. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die Buro vir Ekonomiese Ondersoek in Stellenbosch en die NWU Sakeskool.

Hierdie Jeugdag episode is vir my studente. Die episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

This Youth Day episode is for my students. It is supported by the NWU Business School.

Imagine the South African economy is a fairly old bakkie and the Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee is occasionally behind the wheel. They want the bakkie to keep running, that's economic growth, but they're worried the engine is overheating, that's inflation. The repo rate is their foot on the brake. They left it unchanged at 8.25% yesterday, but what do they say about the p...

Verbeel jou die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie is ʼn redelike ou bakkie en die Reserwebank se Monetêre Beleidskomitee is af en toe agter die stuur. Hulle wil graag hê die bakkie moet ry, dit is ekonomiese groei, maar hulle is bekommerd die enjin word te warm, dit is inflasie. Die repokoers is hulle voet op die rem. Hulle het dit gister onveranderd gelos op 8,25%, maar wat sê hulle van die vooruitsigte vi...

Yesterday in line to vote someone asked me if the rand had started to fall yet. It is the case that sentiment, especially around an election, can play a role, but then I thought it might be interesting to talk about the factors that determine the exchange rate. It is not this week's changes in the rand-dollar rate, but the underlying, fundamental drivers of the exchange rate. This episode is s...

Gister in die ry om te stem vra iemand my of die rand al begin val het. Dit is so dat sentiment, veral rondom ʼn verkiesing, ʼn rol kan speel, maar toe dink ek dit is dalk interessant om te praat oor die faktore wat die wisselkoers bepaal. Dit is nou nie hierdie week se veranderinge nie in die rand-dollar koers nie, maar die onderliggende, fundamentele drywers van die wisselkoers. Hierdie episode wo...

One hears people say that emotional intelligence is more important to your success than IQ. Exactly what determines people's income is something that economists are interested in and it is harder to determine than it sounds. This episode is supported by Economic Research Southern Africa and the NWU Business School.

Mens hoor dat mense sê emosionele intelligensie is meer belangrik vir jou sukses as IK. Presies wat mense se inkomste bepaal is iets waarin ekonome belangstel en dit is moeiliker om te bepaal as wat dit klink. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur Economic Research Southern Africa en die NWU Sakeskool.

Much has been said about tomorrow's election. Our problems are economic in nature and how the various parties promise to solve them lies on a spectrum from the developmental state to the free market. This struggle is as old as our democracy and to put it in perspective it is worth reading an old research article by Nicoli Nattrass. The title is Gambling on investment: Competing economic strate...

Daar is al baie gesê oor more se verkiesing. Ons probleme is ekonomies van aard en hoe die verskillende partye belowe om dit op te los lê op ʼn spektrum van ontwikkelingstaat tot die vrye mark. Hierdie stryd is so oud soos ons demokrasie en om dit in perspektief te stel is dit die moeite werd om ʼn ou navorsingsartikel van Nicoli Nattrass te lees. Die titel is Gambling on investment: Competing econo...

What central banks say is as important as what they do. In the past week, the rand has weakened based on comments from a member of the US Federal Reserve Board who said that interest rates in the US may remain high for a long time. Here in South Africa, analysts expect the Monetary Policy Committee to leave the repo rate unchanged but are ready to listen closely to the tone of the statement. Why d...

Wat sentrale banke sê is net so belangrik soos wat hulle doen. Die afgelope week het die rand verswak op grond van opmerkings van ʼn lid van die Amerikaanse Federale Reserwe Raad wat gesê het dat rentekoerse in die VSA dalk nog lank hoog gaan bly. Hier in Suid-Afrika verwag ontleders dat die Monetêre Beleidskomitee die repokoers onveranderd gaan los maar is reg om fyn te luister na die toon van die...

With less than a week left before the general election, analysts and the markets seem to be very calm about the outcome. The result is more or less the ANC in coalition with smaller parties and reasonable stability or rather, more of the same. This is good and bad. This episode is supported by the NWU Business School. I received a NWU prize this week for media engagement and it is all thanks to Th...

Met minder as ʼn week oor voor die algemene verkiesing lyk dit of ontleders en die markte baie rustig is oor die uitkoms. Die uitslag is min of meer die ANC in koalisie met kleiner partye en redelike stabiliteit, of te wel meer van dieselfde. Dit is goed en sleg. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool. Ek het hierdie week 'n NWU prys ontvang vir my media-werk en dit is alles te...

There is a piece of good news in April's consumer price inflation figure that was announced yesterday. The year-on-year rate decreased from 5.6% in February and 5.3% in March to 5.2% in April. It may not sound like much, but the pressure on food prices is lower. This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Daar is ʼn stukkie goeie nuus in Aprilmaand se verbruikersprysinflasiesyfer wat gister bekend gemaak is. Die jaar-op-jaarkoers het afgeneem vanaf 5,6% in Februarie en 5,3% in Maart tot 5,2% in April. Dit klink dalk nie na veel nie, maar die druk op voedselpryse is laer. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakeskool.

Why is the manufacturing sector in African countries so small? It contributes about 10% of the Gross Domestic Product. In South Africa it is around 12%. Very rapid economic growth and development such as China has experienced is impossible without manufacturing. This episode is supported by Economic Research Southern Africa and the NWU Business School.

Hoekom is die vervaardigingsektor In Afrika lande so klein? Dit dra so 10% van die Bruto Binnelandse Produk by. In Suid-Afrika is dit rondom 12%. Baie vinnig ekonomiese groei en ontwikkeling soos wat Sjina beleef het is onmoontlik sonder vervaardiging. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur Economic Research Southern Africa en die NWU Sakeskool.

The Reserve Bank recently warned that the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, could have a negative impact on South Africa's exports and the economy. The US, Japan, Canada and the UK are considering their own versions of this. Besides making representations that this is unfair, does anyone have a plan? This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.

Die Reserwebank het onlangs gewaarsku dat die Europese koolstofbelasting, of te wel Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism ʼn negatiewe impak kan hê op Suid-Afrika se uitvoer en die ekonomie. Die VSA, Japan, Kanada en die Verenigde Koninkryk oorweeg hulle eie weergawes hiervan. Behlawe om vertoë te rig dat dit onregverdig is, het enige iemand ʼn plan? Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die NWU Sakesko...

If you ask how the economy is doing it is not easy to say well or badly. There was good news about US inflation this past week. Here in South Africa, it seems that the first quarter was a tough one, but the economy is faring better in the second quarter. This episode is supported by the Bureau for Economic Research in Stellenbosch and the NWU Business School.

As jy vra hoe dit met die ekonomie gaan is dit nie maklik om te sê goed of sleg nie. Uit die buiteland was daar die afgelope week goeie nuus oor Amerikaanse inflasie. Hier in Suid-Afrika lyk dit of dit die eerste kwartaal swaar gegaan het, maar beter in die tweede kwartaal. Hierdie episode word ondersteun deur die Buro vir Ekonomiese Ondersoek in Stellenbosch en die NWU Sakeskool.

In the media, the middle class is often talked about. The middle class is under pressure, in debt and should go and vote. But who exactly is this middle class? This episode is supported by the NWU Business School.