The Bureau for Economic Research (BER) is one of the oldest economic research institutes in South Africa. It was established in 1944 and is based at the University of Stellenbosch. Over the years, the BER has built a local and international reputation for independent, objective and authoritative economic research and forecasting. Primarily, the BER focuses on the South African macro economy and selected economic sectors. The BER monitors and forecasts economic trends, and identifies and analyses factors, both locally and internationally, that affect South African businesses. The organisation has built up and continues to expand an extensive historical dataset and macroeconomic forecasting models, which are used both for projecting SA macroeconomic trends and policy/impact analyses. The BER uses a variety of internationally accepted methodologies for the generation and analysis of the data, as well as techniques developed specifically for the unique South African environment.