Investment in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 912-934
Author(s):  
Ciaran Driver ◽  
Laurence Harris
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Private Business ◽  
Business Investment ◽  
Industrial Policies ◽  
Evidential Support ◽  
Fixed Capital Formation ◽  
Low Interest Rates

Abstract: Since the achievement of democracy, high levels of gross fixed capital formation have been required for the economic and social transformation of South Africa. Public-sector investment has risen, particularly since 2008, but private-business investment has not grown enough, while manufacturing’s share of the capital stock has declined substantially. Common explanations for low investment in manufacturing are examined in the light of empirical literature and are judged to have inadequate evidential support. Industrial policies derived from these views, such as maintaining low interest rates to promote investment, need to be based on stronger evidence. An argument is put forward for a system-based approach to research on the determinants of investment.

scholarly journals The Role of E-Banking on the Switching Behaviour of Retail Clients of Commercial Banks in Polokwane, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3(J)) ◽  
pp. 192-201
Author(s):  
Reginald Masocha ◽  
Tafadzwa Matiza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Bank Account ◽  
Banking Services ◽  
Switching Behaviour ◽  
Low Interest Rates ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Physical Branch

This study focused on investigating the role of E-banking on the switching behaviour of retail bank clients in Polokwane, South Africa. Recently, studies have shown that people are switching banks more often than in the past. Circumstances that are beyond control cause people to switch. This has become a challenge in the banking industry as many banks lose their clients. However, newly developed technologies have brought many changes in the operation of banks. The new E-banking services have enabled bank clients to have access to their bank account for 24 hours without visiting the physical branch. A sample of 98 respondents was surveyed in Polokwane, South Africa using the convenience sampling technique. The cronbach alpha test was used to ascertain reliability of the findings. The findings reveal that demographic characteristics have much impact on the switching behaviour of commercial bank clients and acceptance of e-banking services. Switching factors such as bank charges, low interest rates on savings, promotion activities, location and switching costs were the major reasons for bank customers to switch banks.

scholarly journals The Role of E-Banking on the Switching Behaviour of Retail Clients of Commercial Banks in Polokwane, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Reginald Masocha ◽  
Tafadzwa Matiza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Bank Account ◽  
Banking Services ◽  
Switching Behaviour ◽  
Low Interest Rates ◽  
Convenience Sampling ◽  
Physical Branch

This study focused on investigating the role of E-banking on the switching behaviour of retail bank clients in Polokwane, South Africa. Recently, studies have shown that people are switching banks more often than in the past. Circumstances that are beyond control cause people to switch. This has become a challenge in the banking industry as many banks lose their clients. However, newly developed technologies have brought many changes in the operation of banks. The new E-banking services have enabled bank clients to have access to their bank account for 24 hours without visiting the physical branch. A sample of 98 respondents was surveyed in Polokwane, South Africa using the convenience sampling technique. The cronbach alpha test was used to ascertain reliability of the findings. The findings reveal that demographic characteristics have much impact on the switching behaviour of commercial bank clients and acceptance of e-banking services. Switching factors such as bank charges, low interest rates on savings, promotion activities, location and switching costs were the major reasons for bank customers to switch banks.

scholarly journals A Causality Analysis of the Relationships Between Gross Fixed Capital Formation, Economic Growth and Employment in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Francois Meyer ◽  
Kaseem Abimbola Sanusi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
South African ◽  
Capital Formation ◽  
Fixed Capital ◽  
Domestic Investment ◽  
Causality Analysis ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Fixed Capital Formation ◽  
Low Interest Rates

Abstract In terms of macro-economic policy, gross fixed capital formation, which is the major component of domestic investment, is seen as an important process that could accelerate economic growth. This study re-examines the controversial issue of causality between domestic investment, employment and economic growth using South African data. The traditional assumption of causality running from investment to economic growth has remained inconclusive while empirical findings on the investment and employment growth nexus are also largely unsettled. The study makes use of quarterly data from 1995Q1 to 2016Q4 within the framework of the Johansen cointegration and Vector Error Correction Models (VECM). The empirical findings suggest that a long run relationship exists between domestic investment, employment and economic growth, with causality running from economic growth to investment and not vice versa. The results also demonstrate that investment has a positive long-run impact on employment. The empirical evidence further suggests bi-directional causality between employment and economic growth, while evidence of uni-directional causality, from investment to employment, is also found. The major implication of the study is that although there is bi-directional causality between economic growth and employment, economic growth does not translate to increased employment in the long run confirming “jobless growth”. Investment is found to be a positive driver of employment in the South African economy in the long-run. The study concludes that, in order to stimulate employment, investment enhancing policies, such as low interest rates and a favourable economic environment should be put in place to accelerate growth. Measures to promote economic growth, such as improved infrastructural facilities and diversification of the economy, should be further engineered so as to encourage increased investment.

Remaking Retirement

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
The United States ◽  
Older Population ◽  
The Past ◽  
Cost Of Education ◽  
The World ◽  
Low Interest Rates ◽  
Key Aspects

Around the world, people nearing and entering retirement are holding ever-greater levels of debt than in the past. This is not a benign situation, as many pre-retirees and retirees are stressed about their indebtedness. Moreover, this growth in debt among the older population may render retirees vulnerable to financial shocks, medical care bills, and changes in interest rates. Contributors to this volume explore key aspects of the rise in debt across older cohorts, drill down into the types of debt and reasons for debt incurred by the older population, and review policies to remedy some of the financial problems facing older persons, in the United States and elsewhere. The authors explore which groups are most affected by debt, and they also identify the factors causing this important increase in leverage at older ages. It is clear that the economic and market environments are influential when it comes to saving and debt. Access to easy borrowing, low interest rates, and the rising cost of education have had important impacts on how much people borrow, and how much debt they carry at older ages. In this environment, the capacity to manage debt is ever more important as older workers lack the opportunity to recover for mistakes.

Financial Reforms and Consumption Smoothing

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Boileau ◽  
Tianxiao Zheng
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Consumer Credit ◽  
Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium ◽  
Consumption Smoothing ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Financial Reforms ◽  
Collateral Constraint ◽  
Dynamic Stochastic

Abstract We study how financial reforms affect the extent of consumption smoothing in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model of an emerging economy. Consistent with the empirical literature and reform efforts in South Korea and South Africa, we emphasize the relation between consumer credit and durable purchases, and model reforms as the relaxation of the collateral constraint on lower income households. We find that the relaxation of the collateral constraint accounts for a substantial share of the decline in consumption smoothing experienced in South Korea and South Africa.

scholarly journals Special Issue “Interplay between Financial and Actuarial Mathematics”

Risks ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Corina Constantinescu ◽  
Julia Eisenberg
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Control Theory ◽  
Option Pricing ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Financial Mathematics ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Actuarial Mathematics ◽  
Mortality Models ◽  
Low Interest Rates

The Special Issue aims to highlight the interaction between actuarial and financial mathematics, which, due to the recent low interest rates and implications of COVID-19, requires an interlace between actuarial and financial methods, along with control theory, machine learning, mortality models, option pricing, hedging, unit-linked contracts and drawdown analysis, among others [...]

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