Inflation & Prices

South Africa Inflation Eases, Unlikely to Trigger Rate Cut

  • Consumer price index rose annual 5.3% in March; est. 5.4%
  • Central bank governor remain wary of prcing pressure
Shoppers at a supermarket in Frankfort, South Africa.Photographer: Michele Spatari/Bloomberg
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South Africa’s inflation rate dipped to a two-month low in March, but that is unlikely to persuade policymakers to cut borrowing costs as the drop is expected to be short-lived because of rising oil prices.

Consumer prices rose 5.3% from a year earlier, compared with 5.6% in February, Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa said Wednesday in a statement on its website. The median of 18 economist estimates in a Bloomberg survey was 5.4%.