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 2.9 percent compared to September and was up 11 percent compared to October last year.
Meanwhile, in September the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa increased by five percent compared to August and was down by 8.2 percent compared to the same month of 2015, while the index for exported products of iron and steel increased by 6.3 percent month on month and was up 18.5 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in September this year decreased by 1.2 percent month on month and was down 5.9 percent year on year.