The Commercial Property Market has been seeing its average capital growth slowing in recent times, driven by economic growth weakness and interest rate hiking of recent years.
The Residential Mortgage Market is weak in terms of transaction growth, but solid in terms of debt repayment performance under weak economic circumstances.
The ratings agencies have been circling for months with many fearing a downgrading to junk status, and South Africa’s economic growth rate has been narrowed from 0.8% in February to 0.5%.
In the 2nd Quarter of 2016, the TPN-FNB National Average Gross Residential Yield rose slightly for the 1st time since the 1st quarter of 2014.
After falling to 34 in 2Q2016, the FNB/BER Building Confidence Index increased by 4 points to 38 in 3Q2016.
July Real Retail Sales growth numbers show still slower year-on-year growth, and the sharp negative growth in the highly cyclical Household Furniture, Appliances and Equipment segment of Retail may be a leading indicator of more growth slowing to come.
2nd Quarter 2016 SARB New Mortgage Lending data showed a 2nd consecutive quarter’s year-on-year decline.
Gross Domestic Product for the 2nd Quarter of 2016 showed some mild improvement, returning to positive growth after a 1st Quarter contraction.
In recent months, the FNB Valuers’ Residential Market Strength Index (MSI – see page 2 for description) has been through a short bout of mild demand-driven strengthening. However, month-on-month demand growth started to slow once more in August, which possibly means a near term weakening coming in the MSI.
The July Consumer Price Index (CPI) year-on-year inflation rate slowed from a previous month’s 6.3% to 6.0%, thus sitting virtually in the 6% upper limit of the SARB’s (Reserve Bank) 3-6% inflation target range.

eProperty News is a leading online commercial property marketplace serving the Southern African Investment, Office, Retail and Industrial property and allied sectors.