2017.10.2406:34:00UTC+00South Africa Leading Index Falls In August

South Africa's leading index weakened for the first time in three months in August, though slightly, data from the South African Reserve Bank showed Tuesday.

The composite leading index dropped to 97.2 in August from 97.5 in July, which was revised up from 97.3.

Decreases in three of the ten component time series that were available for August narrowly outweighed increases in the other seven components.

The largest negative contribution to the headline index came from a decrease in the number of residential building plans passed, followed by a deceleration in the twelve-month percentage change in job advertisement space.

On a yearly basis, growth in leading index moderated to 4.6 percent in August from 5.8 percent in July.

The coincident index that reflects the current economic activity edge up to 117.7 in July from 117.6 in June. Meanwhile, the lagging index fell to 98.2 from 98.9.

Annually, the coincident index showed no variations in July, while the lagging index rose by 0.6 percent.