The impact of oil price changes on selected economic indicators in South Africa
- Authors: Vellem, Nomtha
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Petroleum industry and trade -- South Africa , Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa , Interest rate futures -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: vital:11485 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1017862 , Petroleum industry and trade -- South Africa , Foreign exchange rates -- South Africa , Interest rate futures -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa
- Description: The study examines the effect of oil price changes on selected economic indicators in South Africa. A VAR-5 model was applied to quarterly data of 1990:Q1-2012:Q4 estimating the impulse response functions, variance decomposition and Granger-causality tests. The findings allow for a conclusion that oil significantly affects the exchange rate and an inverse link between oil and GDP exists. A unidirectional relation is found where oil Granger-causes the exchange rate and GDP Granger-causes oil in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Inflation targeting and inflation indicators: the case for inflation targeting in South Africa
- Authors: Jeke, Leward
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: South African Reserve Bank , Inflation (Finance) -- South Africa , Inflation targeting -- South Africa , Anti-inflationary policies -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa , Economic stabilization -- South Africa , Cointegration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: vital:11467 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1007091 , South African Reserve Bank , Inflation (Finance) -- South Africa , Inflation targeting -- South Africa , Anti-inflationary policies -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa , Economic stabilization -- South Africa , Cointegration -- South Africa
- Description: The control of inflation requires a forecast of the future path of the price level and its indicators. Targeting inflation directly requires that the central bank (SARB) form forecasts of the likely path of prices paying close attention to a variety of indicators that shows the predictive power of inflation in the past periods. Inflation indicators might be cointegrated with the rate of inflation to predict the future inflation rates. Forecasting inflation may be very difficult at a particular period due to the fact that the array candidate indicators of inflation may neither be very stable nor very strong in their relationships with the rate of inflation. Although this might be the case, this research uses testable effects of each of the South African inflation indicators to the rate of inflation using econometrics tools to find that they have a long run trend with the rate of inflation in South Africa. It has been found that each of the indicator variables has a long run relationship with the rate of inflation. The major conclusion is that inflation indicator variables like money supply (M3), oil price, gold price, total employment, interest rates, exchange rates and output growth can be useful inflation indicators in targeting the future trends of inflation in South Africa according to the data used in this research although some studies in some countries find that inflation targeting is an insufficient framework for monetary policy in the presence of financial exuberance. The money supply, the oil prices, interest rates, the exchange rates, prices of gold, the employment and output growth are co-integrated with the rate of inflation representing a long-run relationship.
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- Date Issued: 2012
Business cycles and stock market performance in South Africa
- Authors: Muchaonyerwa, Forward
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Stock exchanges -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa , Business cycles -- South Africa , Economic forecasting -- South Africa , Stocks -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com
- Identifier: vital:11460 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/312 , Stock exchanges -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa , Business cycles -- South Africa , Economic forecasting -- South Africa , Stocks -- South Africa
- Description: The study investigates the relationship between stock market performance and business cycles in South Africa for the period 2002-2009 using monthly data. This is done by constructing a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). The study specifies a business cycle model with the business cycle coincident indicator (BC) regressed against, the All Share Price Index (ALSI), Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER), Money Supply (M1), Inflation (CPIX) and the Prime Overdraft Rate (POR). The ALSI represents stock market performance whilst the rest of the variables are to enhance model specification. The study found a positive relationship between stock market performance and business cycles in South Africa. The results also indicated that business cycles are positively related to the lagged variable of the coincident indicator and money supply. In addition, the findings also reveal that BC is negatively related to interest rates and the real effective exchange rate.
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- Date Issued: 2011
The yield curve as a forecasting tool : does the yield spread predict recessions in South Africa?
- Authors: Khomo, Melvin Muzi
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Recessions -- South Africa , Monetary policy -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa , Business cycles -- History -- 20th century , Business cycles -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1040 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004722 , Recessions -- South Africa , Monetary policy -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Economic indicators -- South Africa , Business cycles -- History -- 20th century , Business cycles -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Description: This paper examines the ability of the yield curve to predict recessions in South Africa, and compares its predictive power with other commonly used variables that include the growth rate in real money supply, changes in stock prices and the index of leading economic indicators. The study also makes an attempt to find out if monetary policy explains the yield spread's predictive power with regards to future economic activity. Regarding methodology, the standard probit model proposed by Estrella and Mishkin (1996) that directly estimates the probability of the economy going into recession is used. Results from this model are compared with a modified probit model suggested by Dueker (1997) that includes a lagged dependent variable. Results presented in the paper provide further evidence that the yield curve, as represented by the yield spread between 3-month and IO-year government paper, can be used to estimate the likelihood of recessions in South Africa. The yield spread can produce recession forecasts up to 18 months, although it's best predictive power is seen at two quarters. Results from the standard probit model and the modified pro bit model with a lagged dependent variable are somewhat similar, although the latter model improves forecasts at shorter horizons up to 3 months. Compared with other indicators, real M3 growth is a noisy indicator and does not provide much information about future recessions, whilst movements in the All-Share index can provide information for up to 12 months but does not do better than the yield curve. The index of leading economic indicators outperforms the yield spread in the short run up to 4 months but the spread performs better at longer horizons. Based on the results from the study, it appears that changes in monetary policy explain the yield spread's predictive power. This is because the yield spread loses its explanatory power when combined with a variable representing the monetary policy stance of the central bank.
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- Date Issued: 2006