South African inflation slows as food and transport costs cool

South Africa’s inflation rate slowed slightly in June, touching a six-month low and potentially encouraging the central bank to consider cutting interest rates later this year. Consumer prices rose 5.1% in June from a year earlier, compared with 5.2% in the prior month, Pretoria-based Statistics South Africa said Wednesday in a statement on its website. That matched the median of 16 economists’ estimates in a Bloomberg survey.