How We Compile Our Data

Where our figures come from

Reference pages are compiled from primary sources: the South African Revenue Service and National Treasury for tax, the South African Reserve Bank for interest rates and exchange control, Statistics South Africa for inflation, growth and employment, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority for regulation, the JSE for market rules and costs, and the Bank for International Settlements for global market data. Each page lists the sources it relies on in its sidebar and next to its tables.

Where an official source is not available, for example broker loss disclosures in the CFD loss study, the page names the publication the figure came from and the date it was published.

How each figure is checked

Every figure is checked against its source on the date shown as Figures current at near the top of the page and in the header of the CSV download. Where two sources disagree, the official publication takes precedence and the page says so. Summary figures, such as the stat boxes and key findings, are written from the tables on the same page, and the site is regularly checked for places where a summary and a table disagree.

How dates work

Each reference page carries three dates: the date its figures were last checked, the date its content last changed, and the date in its CSV file. The content date only moves when the text or the figures change, not when links or layout are updated, so a recent date means something on the page really changed. The Updates Log lists every material change and correction with its date.

How the original studies are calculated

The original studies, such as the annual cost of trading and what R10,000 invested in 2000 is worth today, are calculations by TradeAnswers from published data. Each study lists every assumption in a table, explains what it excludes (for example dividends, costs or taxes), shows a worked example that can be checked by hand, and publishes the underlying figures as a CSV so the result can be reproduced.

How corrections are made

Anyone can report a figure that no longer matches its source using the link at the foot of each reference page. When a correction changes a figure, the page is updated, its date moves, and the correction is recorded on the Updates Log with what was wrong and what it now says.

Reusing our data

Tables, CSV downloads and charts are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). You can reuse them, including commercially, with attribution and a link to the page the figure came from. Each reference page has a citation box in APA and Harvard style, a CSV download, a chart that can be downloaded as a PNG with the credit built in, and an embeddable version of its main table. Citation formats and brand assets are on the press page.

What the figures are not

The figures are general information about South African rules, rates and markets. They are not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Rates and rules change, so check the date on the page and, for decisions that matter, the official source or a registered adviser.