South Africa: Inflation notches 18-month high in November
Consumer prices climbed 0.2% from the previous month in November, down from October’s 0.5% increase. A slower rise in fuel costs was behind the reading. To that effect, core consumer prices—which exclude food and energy prices—rose 0.2%, up from 0.1% in October.
Inflation edged up to 5.2% (October: 5.1%), landing both within the South African Reserve Bank (SARB)’s target band of 3.0%–6.0% and in line with analysts’ expectations. Core inflation rose to 4.4% from 4.2% in October, while annual average inflation was stable from October at 4.6%.