•  Trade balance: Except for 2007, the trade deficit has continued to widen each year. This year, the trade deficit is forecast to be around $ billion and be higher in the next 2 years. The widening of the trade deficit remains an ongoing concern. •  Personal remittances: These fell significantly in 2007 by around 20 percent.
Trading activity in the secondary bond market was boosted by the uncertainty in international markets. A record annual turnover of R8.8 trillion was recorded on the Bond Exchange of South Africa in 1999, followed by R6.2 trillion in the first seven months of 2000, which was about one-quarter more than in the corresponding period of the preceding year.