South Africa's Private Sector Logs Further Marginal Expansion

South Africa's private sector activity signalled a slightly stronger growth in July, driven by greater sales and increased employment, survey results from S&P Global showed Tuesday.

The purchasing managers' index rose to 50.3 in July from 50.1 in June. Any score above 50.0 indicates expansion.

Among components, new orders and employment only contributed positively to the headline PMI. Domestic sales improved, while export demand fell for the fourth straight month.

Employment grew at the quickest pace since May last year, and this supported business capacity, and purchasing activity increased modestly.

On the price front, input price inflation rose to a 3-month high, driven by higher staff costs along with greater fuel and raw material costs. Nonetheless, selling price inflation was slightly slower than in the previous month.

Looking ahead, firms were more hopeful about future demand and new projects.

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