Macroeconomic factors dampen Sasol’s year-to-date performance

NYSE- and JSE-listed petrochemicals company Sasol says its energy business benefitted from higher basic fuel prices, as well as improved refining margins towards the end of the nine months ended March 31, which helped to offset operational headwinds at the group’s mining and Secunda operations. Sasol’s mining productivity has improved albeit at a slower pace than expected. The group expects to meet the lower end of its coal productivity guidance range of between 975 t and 1 100 t per continuous miner per shift for the full-year ending on June 30.