According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa, in October this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry increased by 2.1 percent compared to September and was up 12.1 percent compared to October 2017.
Meanwhile, in September this year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa rose by five percent compared to August and was up by 23.3 percent compared to the same month of 2017, while the index for exported products of iron and steel decreased by 1.4 percent month on month and was up 7.9 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in September this year increased by 12.2 percent month on month and was up by 41.6 percent year on year.