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The Bureau for Economic Research’s highly respected economic analysis and forecasting services have made it a household name in SA and an invaluable partner to both business and government.
Do you own or manage a business in South Africa? Participate in the BER’s quarterly business surveys to track trends in your sector. As a token of our appreciation, you will receive a summary of the survey results each quarter and invitations to exclusive (online) events.
On the 31st of July 2024, the BER will host a special 80th-anniversary conference in Gauteng. Register a free website profile and receive the alert to book your spot, when the conference details are made available. (Please note, creating a profile does not constitute a booking)
25.12/litre
24.33/litre
5.3% y-o-y
4.5%
1.2% y-o-y
11.75 %
-2.1% y-o-y
4.1% y-o-y
The Absa PMI slipped back to below 50 points in March 2024. The headline index declined from 51.7 in February to 49.2 in March. Following robust improvements in February, both the business activity and new sales orders index declined– although the indices remained above recent lows seen in January.
The SA economy managed to avoid a technical recession and registered a slight quarterly expansion in 2023Q4. For the full year, real GDP increased by 0.6% in 2023. This was in line with our expectations and a marked slowdown from the 1.9% recorded in 2022. While we still see growth accelerate in 2024 and 2025, we have downwardly revised our forecast. The lower real GDP outcome is largely a function of a more downbeat expectation for domestic demand.
Read our latest economic forecast.
Business confidence in the other services sector declined by a further one point to 41 in the first quarter of 2024. This implies that about 6 out of 10 businesses in this sector are unsatisfied with business conditions. Following a recent peak reached in 2022Q4, confidence has moved lower.
The release calendar will be updated each quarter. Please note that these dates may change.
Wednesday
5 June 2024
RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI)
Wednesday
26 June 2024
FNB/BER Civil Confidence Index
Tuesday
18 June 2024
Retail Survey
Friday
5 July 2024
Inflation Expectation Survey
The first working day of each month
Absa PMI
The first working day of each month
Update
Every Friday
BER Weekly
Monday
10 June 2024
FNB/BER Building Confidence Index
Thursday
27 June 2024
FNB/BER Consumer Confidence Index (CCI)
Wednesday
12 June 2024
Absa Manufacturing Survey
Thursday
20 June 2024
Other Services Survey
The first week of each month
Trends
In this report we review recent trends in the SA building industry, together with the input costs and the tender prices of building contractors, as measured by the BER Building Cost Index. This unique index is based on accepted building tenders. The report ends with a presentation of the relevant data and forecasts.
The BER Economist Internship Programme provides practical training to appropriately qualified previously disadvantaged individuals. The programme equips trainees to function as economists in the private and/or the public sector.
