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A Financial Conditions Index for South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Miss Nombulelo Gumata
  • Mr Nir Klein
  • Mr Eliphas Ndou

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to construct a financial conditions index (FCI) forSouth Africa. The analysis extracts the index by applying two alternative approaches(principal component analysis and Kalman filter), which identify an unobservablecommon factor from a group of external and domestic financial indicators. Thealternative estimated FCIs, which share a similar trajectory over time, seem to havepowerful predictive information for the near-term gross domestic product (GDP)growth (up to four quarters), and they outperform the South African Reserve Banks(SARB) leading indicator, as well as individual financial variables. Their recentdynamics suggest that following a strong recovery in late 2009 and 2010, reflectingin part domestic factors such as systematic reductions in the policy rate, the reboundin real economic activity and a benign inflationary environment, the financialconditions have deteriorated in recent months, though not as sharply as in end-2008. Given their relatively high predictive power regarding GDP growth, a furtherdeterioration may imply that economic activity is likely to slow in the period ahead.

Suggested Citation

  • Miss Nombulelo Gumata & Mr Nir Klein & Mr Eliphas Ndou, 2012. "A Financial Conditions Index for South Africa," Working Papers 5119, South African Reserve Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:rbz:wpaper:5119
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    File URL: http://www.resbank.co.za/content/dam/sarb/publications/working-papers/2012/5119/WP1205.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Margarita Debuque-Gonzales & Maria Socorro Gochoco-Bautista, 2017. "Financial Conditions Indexes and Monetary Policy in Asia," Asian Economic Papers, MIT Press, vol. 16(2), pages 83-117, Summer.
    2. Matkovskyy, Roman, 2013. "To the Problem of Financial Safety Estimation: the Index of Financial Safety of Turkey," MPRA Paper 47673, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Kirsten Thompson & Renee Van Eyden & Rangan Gupta, 2015. "Identifying an index of financial conditions for South Africa," Studies in Economics and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(2), pages 256-274, June.
    4. Nicolaas van der Wath, 2016. "Gauging financial conditions in South Africa," Working Papers 10/2016, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    5. Kirsten Thompson & Renee van Eyden & Rangan Gupta, 2013. "Identifying a financial conditions index for South Africa," Working Papers 201333, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    6. Wagner Piazza Gaglianone & Waldyr Dutra Areosa, 2016. "Financial Conditions Indicators for Brazil," Working Papers Series 435, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department.
    7. Gupta, Rangan & Ma, Jun & Risse, Marian & Wohar, Mark E., 2018. "Common business cycles and volatilities in US states and MSAs: The role of economic uncertainty," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 317-337.
    8. Alain Kabundi & Asithandile Mbelu, 2021. "Estimating a time-varying financial conditions index for South Africa," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1817-1844, April.
    9. Tomislav Globan, 2018. "Financial supply cycles in post-transition Europe – introducing a composite index for financial supply," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(4), pages 482-505, July.
    10. Ferriani, Fabrizio & Gazzani, Andrea, 2022. "Financial condition indices for emerging market economies: Can Google help?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    11. Umit Bulut, 2016. "Do Financial Conditions have a Predictive Power on Inflation in Turkey?," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 6(2), pages 621-628.
    12. Thanda Sithole & Beatrice D. Simo-Kengne & Modeste Some, 2017. "The role of financial conditions in transmitting external shocks to South Africa," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 150, pages 36-56.
    13. Brum-Civelli, Conrado & Fried-Gindel, Alejandro & Garcia-Hiernaux, Alfredo, 2024. "IFCI-SA: International financial conditions index for South American economies," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(PA).
    14. Hakan Kara & Pinar Ozlu & Deren Unalmis, 2015. "Turkiye icin Finansal Kosullar Endeksi," Central Bank Review, Research and Monetary Policy Department, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey, vol. 15(3), pages 41-73.
    15. Hummaira Jabeen, 2023. "US-Financial Conditions and Macro-economy of Emerging Markets," Journal of Policy Research (JPR), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 9(1), pages 51-63, March.
    16. Borg Ian & Micallef Brian, 2018. "Constructing a Financial Condition Index for a Small-Open Economy: The Case of Malta," Research in Applied Economics, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(3), pages 89-105, September.
    17. Manamani SAHOO, 2017. "Financial conditions index (FCI), inflation and growth: Some evidence," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(3(612), A), pages 147-172, Autumn.

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