According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa, in August this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry remained stable compared to July and was up 3.2 percent compared to August 2016.
Meanwhile, in July this year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa decreased by 4.3 percent compared to June and was down by 4.2 percent compared to the same month of 2016, while the index for exported products of iron and steel increased by 0.5 percent month on month and was up 17.1 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in July this year increased by 0.8 percent month on month and was down 2.3 percent year on year.