Economic transactions lose steam in July

The monthly BankservAfrica Economic Transactions Index (BETI) lost steam in July after a stronger performance in June, to mirror the less-than-positive economic indicators that emerged during the month.

“The BETI fell to an index level of 133.0 in July after recording 133.9 recorded in June. Unlike the annual decline of 7.4% experienced in May and 1.8% in June, the BETI fell by only 0.9% in June. Though still negative, the decline was markedly less significant compared to previous months as a result of the low base calculation,” Shergeran Naidoo, BankservAfrica’s head of stakeholder engagements, said.

Due to a number of factors, the BETI remains volatile on a month-to-month basis.

“Although the strong outcome in June was encouraging, we cautioned the improvement would not necessarily be the start of a sustained synchronised economic recovery. However, the index level for July is still in line with the second quarter average and only slightly below the January level of 133.2,” Elize Kruger, an independent economist, said.

“Unfortunately, the short reprieve from domestic developments, specifically the lower levels of load shedding in most of June, was rapidly reversed at the beginning of July with the return of stage 6 load shedding and the renewed tension in the transport sector on major corridors interrupting normal practices and negatively affecting business confidence.”

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Manufacturing is stagnating

In line with the BETI, the Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) slipped to 47.3 in July, compared to the 47.6 points in June, again signalling the stagnation in the manufacturing sector. “Significantly, the report noted manufacturing activity fell the most since July 2021 when South Africa experienced the riots and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng.”

Kruger noted the S&P Global South Africa PMI reached its lowest level in two years, suggesting the private sector remains stuck in a downturn. Domestic vehicle sales, which were fairly resilient in 2023, were muted in July with new sales only up by 1.3% compared to a year earlier.

“Given the BETI is reflected in real terms, the notable moderation in inflation over the past few months had an underlying positive impact on the index’s performance,” Kruger said. With consumer inflation moderating to 5.4% in June, this will provide some relief for many households and companies. 

The standardised nominal value of transactions cleared through BankservAfrica in July 2023 was R1.19 trillion compared to June’s R1.21 trillion.

According to Naidoo, the number of transactions reached an all-time high of 149.4 million in July, higher than the 145.3 million in June. The average value of transactions cleared through BankservAfrica, for electronic and PayShap transactions, dropped by 7.9% to R7 911 compared to R8 590 in July 2022. 

Naidoo observed the value of PayShap relative to the total standardised nominal value of electronic transactions cleared through BankservAfrica has increased over the past months.

“The lower economic transactions in July signals a muted start to the third quarter with many challenges remaining, such as elevated interest rates, policy and political uncertainties, low confidence levels and logistical constraints,” said Kruger.

However, the recent pledge by CEOs of South Africa’s top companies to assist government in getting the economy back on track could make a difference in due course.