The 2010 Soccer World Cup – A “Ballpark” Assessment
Hosting the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup probably will bring tangible but small
economic benefits to the SA economy. While stadium and transportation
infrastructure construction provided the main boost prior to 2010, we expect
World Cup-related tourism inflows to boost this year’s real GDP by up to 0.5%.
In addition to boosting GDP, the World Cup probably will trigger a temporary
improvement in the current account in Q2 which may support the rand. By
contrast, we see no lasting impact from the event on inflation and
consequently no influence on the monetary policy outlook for 2010. Continue reading.....