{"id":4296,"date":"2026-08-04T01:46:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T23:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/?p=4296"},"modified":"2026-08-04T01:48:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T23:48:29","slug":"simeka-markets-at-a-glance-july-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/2026\/08\/04\/simeka-markets-at-a-glance-july-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Simeka: Markets at a Glance – July 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

This publication provides a monthly review of major indexes, important macroeconomic indicators and an overview of the highs and lows of the stock market for the period.<\/p>\n

Download the review<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Summary<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Global:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  • Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East re-escalated during the month after the fragile ceasefire broke down. As a result, global equity market performance was subdued, with the MSCI World Index ending the month slightly higher at 0.5% (USD), while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index declined 3.3% (USD), despite a strong recovery late in the month. Over the past 12 months, the MSCI World Index has returned 20.9%, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index has returned 34.0% (both in USD), with emerging markets remaining comfortably ahead.<\/li>\n
  • US economic growth slowed to 1.5% in the second quarter, below expectations of 2.1%. While consumer spending remained resilient, growth was constrained by lower government spending and weaker business investment.<\/li>\n
  • US inflation surprised to the downside, easing to 3.5% year-on-year from 4.2% previously. Market forecasts suggest inflation is likely to remain around the 3.5% level during 2026.<\/li>\n
  • The US Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Bank of Japan all left interest rates unchanged. The Federal Reserve noted that inflation remains above target and reiterated a cautious approach amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty.<\/li>\n
  • China\u2019s economy slowed more than expected, growing by 4.3% in the second quarter of 2026, its weakest pace in over three years, largely due to continued weakness in the property sector.<\/li>\n
  • Rising Middle East tensions pushed oil prices higher, with Brent crude oil rising by 20%, from approximately $73 to $88 per barrel at month-end. At the time of writing, oil has eased to around $83 per barrel as peace talks resume.<\/li>\n
  • Gold remained above the $4,050\/oz level and gained 1.0% during the month, supported by safe-haven demand amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Local (South Africa):<\/strong><\/h4>\n
      \n
    • Despite heightened market volatility, South African equities ended the month in positive territory. The FTSE\/JSE All Share Index (ALSI) rose 1.2%, supported by gains in the resource sector, with Sasol increasing by 20% on the back of higher oil prices. Listed property gained 2.3%, while bonds, as measured by the FTSE\/JSE All Bond Index (ALBI), declined 1.4%. Over the past 12 months, SA equities have returned 17.2%, outperforming the MSCI World Index\u2019s 9.9% return in rand terms.<\/li>\n
    • Inflation increased to 5.0% from 4.5%, driven primarily by higher fuel prices and a sharp increase in passenger transport costs.<\/li>\n
    • Nevertheless, the SARB left the repo rate unchanged at 7.0% at its July meeting, citing the need to support economic growth while remaining vigilant to inflation risks. The SARB also revised its 2026 GDP growth forecast upward to 1.4% from 1.2% previously.<\/li>\n
    • The SARB lowered its 2026 inflation forecast to 4.0% from 4.4%, reflecting lower expected food and fuel inflation, and noted that the current policy stance remains appropriate following the May rate increase.<\/li>\n
    • The rand weakened by 1.0% against the US dollar, moving from R16.39 to R16.56, as emerging market sentiment softened and the SARB\u2019s decision to leave interest rates unchanged added further pressure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      This publication provides a monthly review of major indexes, important macroeconomic indicators and an overview of the highs and lows of the stock market for the period.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":11016,"featured_media":4298,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[82009,3256],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-4296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-carousel","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11016"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4296"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4302,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4296\/revisions\/4302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4296"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surf.sun.ac.za\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=4296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}