SA exits recession with 2.5% growth in second quarter
Gross domestic product increased an annualized 2.5 percent in the second quarter compared with a revised decline of 0.6 percent in the previous three months
South Africa’s economy exited its second recession in almost a decade in the three months ended June 30 after agricultural output surged. Gross domestic product increased an annualized 2.5 percent in the second quarter compared with a revised decline of 0.6 percent in the previous three months, the statistics office said in a report released on Tuesday in the capital, Pretoria. The median of 21 estimates compiled by Bloomberg was for growth of 2.3 percent. The economy expanded 1.1 percent from a year earlier. Agricultural output surged 34 percent, the agency said. The central bank halved its economic growth forecast for this year to 0.5 percent and trimmed the outlook for 2018 to 1.2 percent from 1.5 percent. GDP expanded at the lowest annual rate since a 2009 recession last year. The inflation rate dropped to an almost two-year low in July, reaching 4.6 percent. The rand 0.1 percent to 12.9543 per dollar by 11:31 a.m. Yields on rand-denominated government bonds due December 2026 we...
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