The Bureau for Economic Research's inflation expectations surveys: Know your data
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP10/2021Publication date: December 2021
Author(s):
[protected email address] (Wilfrid Laurier University, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Waterloo, Canada, and Research Fellow, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa)
Inflation expectations are today keenly monitored by both the private sector and policy makers. Expectations matter, but whose expectations matter and how should this unobservable be measured? Answering these questions involves a number of choices that should be transparent and explicit. In this research note, we focus on these choices with respect to the South African inflation expectations data collected by the Bureau for Economic Research. Being willing to detail the strengths and weaknesses of a particular approach is valuable as it will enable us to choose the appropriate proxy for each application and to interpret the results with insight.
JEL Classification:C83, E43, E52, E58, E71
Keywords:Inflation expectations survey, Bureau for Economic Research, inflation targeting, monetary policy, survey methodology
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Upcoming Seminars
Monday 28 July 202512:00-13:00
Dr Neil Rankin: Ceo Of Predictive Insights & Stellenbosch University
Topic: "TBC"
12:00-13:00
Prof Willem Boshoff: Stellenbosch University
Topic: "Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over the past 30 years"
12:00-13:00
Professor Johan Fourie: Stellenbosch University
Topic: "Economic History: TBC"
BER Weekly
25 Jul 2025 Budget hurdle cleared, but US tariff implementation remains a riskIt was another big week on the local political front, but with some constructive momentum. On the trade front, ahead of next week’s 1 August deadline, Trump announced another “massive” trade deal with Japan. The upcoming week is busy, with a slew of global and domestic data releases and several monetary policy decisions, including the SARB....
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