Fast Stats
These monthly reports keep CRA subscribers up-to-date with over 200 economic and social indicators. All the data you need to make informed decisions to successfully navigate complexity in South Africa.
January 2021
The CRA's Fast Stats provides data-driven insights into current political and economic trends.
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Key takeaways:
- The leading business indicator was up 4.5% for October 2020 in comparison to October 2019.
- The growth in money supply — the total value of money available in the economy — in November 2020 was 8.18%, compared to 6.49% in November 2019.
- Equities net purchases/sales by foreigners for January-November 2020 reached -R136.9 billion, compared to -R111.9 billion for January-November 2019. Bonds net purchases/sales by foreigners reached -R66.6 billion compared to -R29.4 billion for the same period.
- The average gold price per ounce for 2020 was $1 770, compared to $1 392 in 2019. The average platinum price per ounce was $885 compared to $863 for the same period.
- The average crude oil price (brent/barrel) in 2020 was $41.83, compared to $64.39 in 2019.
- South Africa recorded a merchandise trade surplus of R238.3 billion for January-November 2020, compared to a surplus of R9.2 billion for January-November 2019.
- Total vehicles sold were down 29.1% for 2020, compared to 2019. Vehicles exported were down 29.8% and tractors sold were up 8.9% for the same period.
- The volume of manufacturing production for January-November 2020 was down 11.9%, compared to January-November 2019. The volume of mining production was down 12.8% for January-October 2020 compared to January-October 2019.