According to the latest data released on June 28 by Statistics South Africa, in May this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for domestic output in the manufacturing sector increased 0.5 percent compared to the previous month and was up 4.7 percent year on year.
In May, South African PPI for the domestic basic iron and steel industry was up 0.2 percent compared to April this year and down 3.4 percent compared to May last year. On the other hand, in May this year the PPI for domestic manufacture of metal products increased by 0.3 percent over the previous month and was up 8 percent year on year.
The PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa in the given month rose 1.7 percent compared to the previous month and was down 3.9 percent compared to May 2011, while the PPI for exported metal products decreased by 2.3 percent over the previous month and was up 3.5 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic iron and steel remained stable on both year-on-year and month-on-month basis, while the PPI for imported metal products increased by 0.2 percent over the previous month and was down 5.8 percent year on year.