BER Login Form


Lost your password? | Register
Login/Register
  • Home
  • About BER
  • Research
  • Media & events
  • Contact us
  • About us
  • Internship programme
  • Product offering
  • Macro service
  • Executive service
  • Surveys and indices
  • Forecasts
  • Data
  • BER Weekly & Comments
  • Presentations
  • Ad-hoc
  • Events
  • Meet the team
  • Director
  • Research team
  • Macro service manager
  • Consulting economists
  • Forecasts
  • Economic Prospects
  • Economic Outlook
  • Most recent forecasts
  • Beeld Consensus
  • Forecast method
  • BER Forecast Data
  • Data
  • Snapshot
  • Trends
  • NumBERs
  • Update
  • Indices
  • Business Confidence Index
  • Consumer Confidence Index
  • Building Confidence Index
  • Civil Confidence Index
  • Purchasing Managers' Index
  • Financial Services Index
  • Building Cost Index
  • Research
  • Weekly
  • Comments
  • Research notes
  • Ad-hoc research
  • S.E.E.
  • Stellenbosch Working Paper Series
  • Surveys
  • Retail
  • Manufacturing
  • Building & Construction
  • Inflation Expectations

  • Method: Business and consumer surveys
  • Method: Inflation expectation survey
  • Method: Financial services
  • Release calendar
  • Events
  • Conference papers
  • Press releases
  • Home
  • About BER
    • About Us
    • Product offering
    • Internship programme
    • Meet the team
  • Research
    • Forecasts
    • Data
    • Indices
    • BER Weekly
    • Surveys
  • Media & events
    • Release Calendar
    • Events
    • Conference Papers
    • Press Releases
  • Contact us
Petrol price (Gauteng) = 13.76/litre  Petrol price (Coastal) = 13.27/litre  CPI March '18 = 3.8% y-o-y  PPI manufacturing January '18 = 5.1%  GDP growth Q4 = 1.9% y-o-y  Prime interest rate = 10.25%  Unemployment rate Q4 = 26.7%  Retail sales February '18 = 4.9% y-o-y  Manufacturing output February '18 = 0.6% y-o-y 
Economic information that works for you

About BER


About us
Meet the team
Product offering
Internship programme

BER product offering introduction


The BER strives to act as our clients’ “virtual” in-house economics department by staying in regular contact with clients through the distribution of data, in-depth comments on economic developments, quarterly forecasts and our unique business and consumer survey data. An important feature of the service is the in-house economic presentations provided by an allocated BER economist.

Clients have a choice between our comprehensive Macro Service that includes all the research done at the BER, and the Executive Service that is tailored to the specific requirements of individual clients.

Should you wish to enquire about the BER's services or products, please contact us.

BER products

Macro service


The Macro service is a comprehensive economic consultancy service. The central focus is to analyse and forecast macro-economic conditions and to convey this information to our clients in a way that makes sense at the micro company/industry/sector level. The forecast is conducted both over the short term (next 18-24 months) and the medium term (next 6 years). The BER has two comprehensive macro-econometric models, a quarterly model for the short-term forecast and an annual model for the medium-term forecast. The forecast information serves as valuable input into organisations’ strategic planning processes and contextualises the operating environment of the organisation within the broader economic cycle. The information is published in research reports and presented in-house at company level. In addition, Macro service clients receive all of the BER’s quarterly business and consumer surveys as well as BER Research Notes and Comments. Clients have access to several monthly- and quarterly updated data publications.

BER Macro clients have access to the following:


  • A specially allocated, client-appropriate BER economist:
    • Providing in-house presentations twice a year, with additional presentations available at a reduced rate.
    • Available to regularly discuss economic or strategic issues per telephone or e-mail or arrange for the electronic transfer of economic data.
  • The full complement of the BER research and forecast reports, of which Economic Outlook and Economic Prospects are the flagship publications:
    • Economic Outlook, a bi-annual forecast report of the South African economy for the coming 5-6 years. The focus is on the expected medium-term business cycle, while also analysing structural changes and emerging trends in the economy
    • Economic Prospects, a quarterly report, containing a detailed quarter-by-quarter forecast of the SA economy for the coming 18-24 months, which is supplemented by a monthly economic fact sheet Update)
    • Quarterly business surveys (Manufacturing Survey, EY Retail Survey, Building and Construction survey, EY Financial Services Survey)
    • Trends, a comprehensive economic statistics handbook.
    • In-depth Research Notes covering analyses of key economic issues.
    • BER Comment, a brief note intended as a more regular interface with our clients, the emphasis being to provide our interpretations of important economic events (including quarterly GDP growth statistics and monetary policy decisions). This includes the quarterly BER Survey comment which summarises the results of the business surveys and provides a first indication of developments in the real economy during that quarter.
  • Complimentary attendance for three delegates to the well-known BER conference.
  • The BER data bank with more than 50 000 time series which may be accessed on request. The BER's personalised databank service is available at extra cost.
  • The BER’s research capacity on an ad hoc basis (and at additional cost), e.g. assistance with company sales forecasts; product income and price elasticities, etc. Ad hoc requests from subscribing clients usually receive preference.
  • For more information, contact us.

Executive service


The Executive service provides busy company executives with comprehensive short-term analysis and forecasts of the South African economy. Key areas such as economic growth, interest rates, inflation and exchange rates are covered. These variables have a crucial impact on a company’s performance and profitability. The BER relies on its comprehensive macro-econometric model, its contact with business executives and policy makers, and its dedicated research, particularly its quarterly business surveys, in constructing the forecast. In addition, Executive service clients will receive the BER’s quarterly business and consumer surveys as well as BER Comments. Clients will have access to several monthly- and quarterly-updated data publications.

BER Executive clients have access to the following:


  • A personal in-house presentation, focusing on the impact to the company of the expected macro-economic environment. Particular emphasis is placed on the results of BER business surveys conducted quarterly and which provide unique and advance warning on business cycle and market developments. Additional presentations can be arranged at reduced rates.
  • An open-line facility to discuss economic events and issues.
  • Executive clients are also welcome to contact the BER for additional / client specific research requirements.
  • BER research and forecast reports, including:
    • Economic Prospects, a quarterly report, containing a detailed quarter-by-quarter forecast of the SA economy for the coming 18-24 months, which is supplemented by a monthly economic fact sheet Update )
    • Quarterly business surveys (Manufacturing Survey , EY Retail Survey , Building and Construction survey , EY Financial Services Survey )
    • Trends, a comprehensive economic statistics handbook.
    • BER Comment, a brief note intended as a more regular interface with our clients, the emphasis being to provide our interpretations of important economic events (including quarterly GDP growth statistics and monetary policy decisions). This includes the quarterly BER Survey comment which summarises the results of the business surveys and provides a first indication of developments in the real economy during that quarter.
  • For more information, contact us.

Surveys and indices


A cornerstone of the BER's work over the years has been its regular business surveys. The information from the surveys (which the BER processes into workable time series data and publishes in quarterly reports, namely the Retail Survey , Manufacturing Survey and Building and Construction Survey reports ) has a proven track record as exceptionally reliable given the correspondence with the available official statistics as published by Statistics South Africa and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). The surveys provide unique information, such as overall business confidence, as well as respondents’ rating of current business conditions and expectations for the next quarter. In addition to the quarterly business survey, the monthly manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index™ (PMI™) tracks conditions in the South African factory sector on a month-to-month basis.

Apart from the business surveys mentioned above, the BER conducts several other surveys in various sectors of the economy in order to better gauge current economic conditions. The consumer survey measures consumer confidence and provides additional information about the expected performance of the economy, the expected financial position of households and the rating of the appropriateness of the present time to buy durable goods. The quarterly Financial Sector Survey reveals current and expected changes in income / (net) inflows, costs / outflows and profitability of retail banks, investment banks, asset managers and life insurers, as well as confidence levels of these four segments of the financial services sector. Industry specific issues, such as banks’ credit standards and the demand for various products of asset managers, are also covered. The quarterly Inflation Expectation Survey , conducted by the BER and commissioned by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), assesses inflation expectations of financial analysts, business people, trade union officials and households. Finally, the BER publishes the Building Cost Index – a measure of the percentage change in average building costs in South Africa.

Forecasts


Macroeconomic forecasting is one of the BER's core competencies. The 18-24 month ahead quarterly forecast is generated during January, April, July and October of each year and published in the Economic Prospects publication.

The 6-year ahead annual forecast is updated in April and October and is published in Economic Outlook. While not formally modelled, the 6-year ahead forecast is updated in January and July in conjunction with the production of the new quarterly forecast. On occasion, the BER undertakes a long-term (roughly 15-year) baseline and scenario forecast round. These results are then published in Economic Outlook.

Data


The BER publishes several monthly data publications, ranging from a concise graphical overview of general economic conditions in Snapshot and a fact sheet of key economic data and financial indicators in Update , to the more comprehensive economic statistics handbook named Trends and the summary of key monthly, quarterly and annual South African and international economic data in numBERs .

BER Weekly & Comments


The BER Weekly is a short report that reviews important global and domestic financial market and economic data developments of the previous week. BER Comments are brief notes on the BER’s interpretation of economic events, including the South African Reserve Bank interest rate decision and other key data releases, (such as GDP figures). Included is a comment highlighting the key results and broader macroeconomic implications of the BER’s Business Surveys.

Presentations


The BER conducts ad hoc macroeconomic presentations on request from non-clients. The BER economist will endeavour to provide a presentation appropriate to the client’s sector or industry, but the emphasis remains on the broader Macroeconomic Outlook. For more information, please contact us.

Ad hoc research


The BER conducts ad hoc research on request from both clients and non-clients. The BER relies on in-house expertise, as well as its capacity to contract research out in the event of this being necessary, to provide the highest quality research output possible. Should you wish to enquire about the BER's ad hoc research, please contact us.

More information and a list of previous commissioned research.

Events


The BER hosts conference events in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The conferences provide delegates with the BER’s latest economic forecasts as well as in-depth analyses of economic and political developments. The conferences are renowned for the quality of the speakers. Importantly, delegates can use these events as opportunities to listen to and engage with influential policy makers, business leaders, decision makers and other attendees.

More details on upcoming and previous events.

Home

About BER

About us
Meet the team
Product offering
Internship programme

Research

Forecasts
Data
Indices
Surveys
Research

Media & events

Release calendar
Events
Conference papers
Press releases

Contact us

Terms of use
Privacy policy
Disclaimer
Glossary
Links
FAQ
Click to Browse

SSL
Designed and powered by POP ® Software from Partner