Johannesburg - The central bank's monthly leading business cycle indicator decreased by 0.5 percent on a month-on-month basis in March, led by a drop in the number of jobs being advertised and residential building plans passed in the month.
The South African Reserve Bank indicator collates data such as vehicle sales, job advertisements, business confidence and money supply to gauge the economic outlook.
Indices: 2010 = 100 Jan Feb March
Leading Indicator 100.3 99.6 99.1
12-mth percentage change -1.9 -2.7 -2.4
Coincident Indicator 117.6 117.0
12-mth percentage change 4.0 3.4
Lagging Indicator 103.3 105.0
12-mth percentage change 2.4 3.1 - Reuters