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 by 0.4 percent compared to July and was up seven percent compared to August 2013.
Meanwhile, in July this year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa decreased by 0.5 percent compared to June and was down 0.6 percent year on year, while the index for exported products of iron and steel increased by 1.4 percent month on month and by 3.2 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in July this year increased by 1.4 percent month on month and was up 8.1 percent year on year.