The  vacancy rate is probably the closest that the property market has to a coincident indicator.  The recently published SAPOA vacancy rates suggest that the South African office market remains weak and that rentals will remain under pressure in 2010.

Of the twenty Johannesburg nodes measured by the SAPOA only six nodes showed an improvement in vacancy rates in the past quarter.  These include Bedforview, Constantia Kloof, Houghton, Melrose and Randburg.    But in general the conditions ...