The South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to announce its decision on interest rates in Pretoria on Thursday afternoon.
Statistics South Africa’s latest inflation print shows that inflation rose above analysts’ expectations to 5% in June.
Rising fuel prices due to the US-Iran war have been driving inflation pressures.
Head of Macroeconomic Research at Standard Bank Elna Moolman says, “This is a dilemma for the Reserve Bank because inflation is significantly higher than its 3% target and it’s expected to exceed that 3% target in the coming months. But at the same time the Reserve Bank is one of the few central banks globally that have already hiked since the outbreak of the Iran war and South Africa’s interest rates are already reasonably high.”
“If the Reserve Bank hikes interest rates further, we expect this to be the hiking cycle and we still think that once the war is over and oil prices are significantly and sustainably lower, the Reserve Bank could start unwinding these interest rate hikes,” explains Moolman.
cbsoptanon.onScriptsReady(function(cmp){cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(a){if(a) AnvatoPlayer(“p0”).init({“mcp”:”cbs”,”width”:”100%”,”height”:”100%”,”video”:”6196482″,”autoplay”:false,”titleVisible”:false,”accessKey”:”5VD6Eyd6djewbCmNwBFnsJj17YAvGRwl”,”accessControl”:{“preview”:false},”pInstance”:”p0″,”plugins”:{“heartbeat”:{“account”:”cbslocal-global-unified”,”publisherId”:”cbslocal”,”jobId”:”sc_va”,”marketingCloudId”:”823BA0335567497F7F000101@AdobeOrg”,”trackingServer”:”cbsdigitalmedia.hb.omtrdc.net”,”customTrackingServer”:”cbsdigitalmedia.d1.sc.omtrdc.net”,”chapterTracking”:false,”version”:”1.5″,”customMetadata”:{“video”:{“cbs_market”:”chicago.cbslocal.com”,”cbs_platform”:”desktop”}}},”comscore”:{“clientId”:”3000023″,”c3″:”Chicago.cbslocal.com”},”dfp”:{“clientSide”:{“adTagUrl”:”http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=2×2&iu=/4128/cbs.chi&ciu_szs&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=xml_vast2&unviewed_position_start=1&url=[referrer_url]&description_url=[description_url]&correlator=[timestamp]”,”keyValues”:{“categories”:”[[CATEGORIES]]”,”program”:”[[PROGRAM_NAME]]”,”siteSection”:”video-default”}}},”moat”:{“clientSide”:{“partnerCode”:”cbslocalanvatovideo181732609431″}}},”token”:”default”,”expectPreroll”:true,”expectPrerollTimeout”:5});});}); CHICAGO (CBS) — Some Illinois schools were sent scrambling this weekend after a downstate judge put a temporary restraining order on Gov. JB Pritzker’s…
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/small-dog-rides-a-bus-in-venice.jpg?id=58233931&width=1245&height=700&coordinates=45%2C0%2C45%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>After being allowed on the metro, dogs in Montreal may soon be hopping on STM buses too. A new motion has been adopted to pave the way for a pilot project testing this initiative starting in 2026.</p><p>At a <a href="https://montreal.ca/evenements/seance-du-conseil-municipal-79644" target="_blank">March 18 city council meeting</a>, a motion proposed by opposition party Ensemble Montréal was approved to launch a pilot program that would permit passengers to bring their dogs on <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/tag/societe-de-transport-de-montreal" target="_blank">Société de transport de Montréal (STM) </a>buses. This decision follows the success of a trial program <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal/montreals-metro-is-loosening-the-leash-letting-dogs-ride-as-of-october-15" target="_blank">allowing dogs on the metro</a>, which has been in place since 2022.</p><p>But why is it being postponed until 2026?</p><p>Part of the reason comes from a <a href="https://www.stm.info/en/press/press-releases/2025/stm-testifies-on-the-impact-of-the-homelessness-crisis-on-its-mission" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new memo released by the STM</a> confirms a sharp rise in disorder, drug use, and safety concerns, painting a troubling picture of Montreal's transit system.</p><p>"With the current homelessness crisis, we don’t have the capacity to implement this in the coming months. But by pushing it to late 2026, we believe the situation will have stabilized, allowing us to properly develop a future pilot project," explained Sylvain Ouellet, city councillor and STM board member. </p><p>There are also logistical challenges to consider, as "the metro and bus are two very different environments," Ouellet noted. In the metro, passengers who are allergic or uncomfortable can simply switch cars, whereas on a bus, space is more limited. Additionally, metro trains run frequently, giving passengers the option to wait for the next one if necessary, while buses operate on less frequent schedules, offering less flexibility.</p><p>To ensure a smooth experience for both humans and pups, rules similar to those in the metro will need to be established. Dogs would only be allowed on buses outside of peak hours, must be leashed and muzzled, and each passenger would be limited to bringing one dog aboard.</p><p>Following this announcement, the Montreal SPCA expressed excitement about the decision, celebrating the city's move to join major cities like Calgary, Toronto, Copenhagen, London, Boston, Lyon, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, and Helsinki, where dogs are already allowed on public buses.</p><p> “We hope other cities in Quebec will follow suit!” the animal shelter stated.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cc8a975fb968bef3f71b9a032952ba6c"><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1061601872676866&set=a.554114330092292&type=3&ref=embed_post"></div></div><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em></p>
<p><br/></p><p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>
England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick has won his 3rd DP World Tour Championship title. The 2022 US Open champion defeated world number two, Rory McIlroy of Northern…
