South Africa: Manufacturing production flatlines in June
Latest reading: Manufacturing output flatlined month on month in seasonally adjusted terms in June, which followed May’s 2.2% increase. Looking at the details of the release, June’s notable deceleration was largely driven by a sharp slowdown in food and beverages production growth and basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery swinging to a contraction. Moreover, wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing output declined at a steeper clip.
On an annual basis, manufacturing output rose at a faster rate of 1.9% in June (May: +0.7% yoy), the joint-best result since July 2024. Accordingly, the trend improved significantly, with the annual average variation of manufacturing production coming in at minus 0.9% in June, up from May’s minus 1.5%.