The CEF does not present daily snapshot data for LP Gas, so it is not currently possible to give the expected price for December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The daily snapshots from the CEF are also not entirely predictive of the final fuel price adjustments, and the numbers may change by the end of the month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources only announces the final price a few days before the implementation date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the data does give a strong indication of where prices are headed and reflects the current market trends for the first half of the month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rand has remained on the front foot in 2026, trading stronger against the dollar at around R16.37\/$<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the US, initial jobless claims unexpectedly declined in the week ended 9 January 2026, while both the New York Empire State manufacturing index and the Philadelphia Fed manufacturing index improved more than anticipated in January<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like other risk-sensitive currencies, the rand often responds to global factors, particularly US policies. It traded at 16.4050 against the dollar, unchanged from its previous closing level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Wednesday afternoon, Trump commented that the violence during Iran\u2019s crackdown on nationwide protests was subsiding, indicating that he was adopting a wait-and-see approach toward the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US dollar showed slight strength against a basket of currencies, while gold prices retreated as Trump\u2019s more diplomatic tone lowered the demand for safe-haven assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n South Africa\u2019s local currency is expected to remain within a narrow range as traders continue to monitor the situation in Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Higher trade outcomes, the precious metals rally, removal from the grey list, a sharp drop in the inflation target, and inflation itself over the past few years, the higher domestic economic outlook, and the credit rating upgrade all added to rand strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While oil prices have been on a downward trajectory, recent events have put pressure on global prices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Geopolitical tensions in Venezuela, Iran, and the Black Sea have pushed oil prices to a three-month high, despite ongoing oversupply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Initially, Brent crude fell below $60 per barrel after the US ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, as expectations grew for a quick restoration of oil output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, protests in Iran and US threats of intervention led to a 9% price increase, pushing oil above $66.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While potential regime change in Iran could eventually increase global oil supply, the immediate risk is of supply disruptions, particularly through the critical Strait of Hormuz, which handles nearly 20% of the world’s oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite recent price surges, crude remains within a narrow range due to rising global supplies that may outpace demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is how the price changes are expected to reflect at the pumps (Diesel prices reflect wholesale, pump prices will differ):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mid-month data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) shows that petrol and diesel users in South Africa are lining up for a big cut to pricing next month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":714644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9874],"tags":[20133,2171],"class_list":["post-848022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","tag-central-energy-fund-cef","tag-petrol-price"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848022"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":848075,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848022\/revisions\/848075"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/714644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-16-at-10.25.50-1024x168.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRand dollar exchange<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-16-at-10.32.17-1024x337.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nGlobal oil prices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-16-at-10.43.50-1024x367.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nInland<\/th> January Official<\/th> February Expected<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 93 Petrol<\/td> R20.64<\/td> R19.86<\/td><\/tr> 95 Petrol<\/td> R20.75<\/td> R19.93<\/td><\/tr> Diesel 0.05% (wholesale)<\/td> R18.41<\/td> R17.48<\/td><\/tr> Diesel 0.005% (wholesale)<\/td> R18.52<\/td> R17.50<\/td><\/tr> Illuminating Paraffin<\/td> R12.63<\/td> R11.82<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Coastal<\/th> January Official<\/th> February Expected<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> 93 Petrol<\/td> R19.85<\/td> R19.07<\/td><\/tr> 95 Petrol<\/td> R19.92<\/td> R19.10<\/td><\/tr> Diesel 0.05% (wholesale)<\/td> R17.58<\/td> R16.65<\/td><\/tr> Diesel 0.005% (wholesale)<\/td> R17.76<\/td> R16.74<\/td><\/tr> Illuminating Paraffin<\/td> R11.62<\/td> R10.81<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"