US inflation under control; SA releases disappointing unemployment data

Loading player...
US inflation and consumer sales data for April showed no signs of tariff pressures. US inflation was 2.3%, just above the 2% target, but over the next 12 months tariff hikes will push it up by 1-1.5%, as well as cause a slowdown in growth and higher unemployment levels. In SA, the Q1 2025 unemployment rate climbed to almost 33%, which was disappointing, although partly seasonal. In Budget 3.0 this week, government is likely to revise down the economic growth rate to 1-1.5% but no significant tax changes are expected.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
19 May 2025 English South Africa Investing · Business News

Other recent episodes

Escalating Middle East war raises unknowns for markets

In this podcast, STANLIB’s Chief Economist, Kevin Lings, discusses two topics: the potential effects of the escalating war in Iran; and broadening private sector credit demand in SA. The war has triggered a rise in safe-haven assets, including gold, and in the oil price. For SA, the effect may be…
2 Mar 9 min

SA’s bond market rallies on prudent government debt issuance

In this podcast, STANLIB Asset Management’s deputy head of fixed income, Sylvester Kobo, highlights key positives in the National Budget that caused bond yields to firm. Investors welcomed the announcement of a cut in debt issuance and credit rating agencies are expected to respond with an upgrade to the country’s…
25 Feb 2 min

Markets welcome a “no surprises” Budget 2026

In this podcast, STANLIB Asset Management’s chief economist, Kevin Lings, analyses the main features of the 2026 Budget Speech, which was welcomed by equity, bond and currency markets. The Budget showed further progress in fiscal discipline in six critical parameters, including cutting the budget deficit, keeping government expenditure below revenue,…
25 Feb 12 min

US growth disappoints; SA’s inflation generally under control

In this podcast, STANLIB’s Chief Economist, Kevin Lings, discusses disappointing US Q4 2025 GDP growth of 1.4% q/q, which was largely due to the 43-day government shutdown. Underlying growth, at 2.2% y/y, is below long-term averages. However, latest US core PCE inflation was above expectations, at 3% y/y, exceeding the…
23 Feb 16 min

Africa isn’t a side bet, it’s a distinct global market opportunity

In this episode of The More You Know, Jeremy Maggs interviews STANLIB Asset Management CEO, Derrick Msibi, who argues that Africa has the potential to attract capital more broadly than only to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), which many investors mistakenly treat as a proxy for the entire continent. He…
18 Feb 22 min