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 increased 0.6 percent compared to July and was up 12.4 percent compared to August 2017.
Meanwhile, in July this year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa rose by 0.5 percent compared to June and was up by 8.7 percent compared to the same month of 2017, while the index for exported products of iron and steel decreased by 1.5 percent month on month and was up 8.9 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in July this year increased by 2.3 percent month on month and was up by 32.4 percent year on year.