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MONDAY, JUNE 7, 198?
LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG
LOANS BY BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES FOR USE IN HONG KONG ROSE IN APRIL BY 3.4 PER CENT, AGAINST AN INCREASE OF 3.1 PER CENT IN MARCH. IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS TOTAL LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG EXPANDED BY 10.4 PER CENT, AND OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS BY 47.3 PER CENT.
LOANS BY BANKS FOR USE IN HONG KONG GREW IN APRIL BY
3.5 PER CENT, AND THOSE BY DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES BY 3.2 PER CENT, FOLLOWING INCREASES OF 4.1 PER CENT AND 0.4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH.
FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
THERE WAS AN INCREASE IN APRIL OF $8.5BN., TO $425.4BN. IN THE SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES OF THE MONETARY SECTOR : THIS WAS A CONSIDERABLY SMALLER INCREASE THAN THAT OF $25.3BN RECORDED IN MARCH, WHEN THE EXEMPTION OF FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS FROM INTEREST WITHHOLDING TAX, WHICH CAME INTO FORCE FROM FEBRUARY 25, APPEARS TO HAVE HAD ITS MAIN IMPACT. THE SECTOR'S SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS ALSO ROSE IN APRIL, BY $4.2BN. TO $421.8BN. THUS, THE SECTOR AS A WHOLE HAD NET FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES AT THE END OF APRIL OF $3.5BN: WITHIN THIS, BANKS HAD NET ASSETS OF $2.4BN., WHILE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES HAD NET LIABILITIES OF $5.9BN.
BALANCE SHEET RATIOS
THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 18 OF THE BANKING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS IN HONG KONG FELL IN APRIL TO 48.5 PER CENT FROM 51.1 PER CENT IN MARCH. THE RATIO OF THE IR LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG TO THE IR DEPOSITS FELL TO 90.9 PER CENT AT THE END OF APRIL FROM 95.6 PER CENT AT THE END OF MARCH, REFLECTING THE RAPID EXPANSION IN DEPOSITS WITH BANKS DURING THE MONTH,
THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ORDINANCE) FOR ALL DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ROSE SLIGHTLY TO 49.4 PER CENT IN APRIL FROM 49.3 PER CENT IN MARCH. THE RATIO OF THEIR LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG TO THE IR DEPOSITS ROSE TO 80.7 PER CENT AT THE END OF APRIL FROM 76.1 PER CENT AT THE END OF MARCH, AS DEPOSITS WITH DEPOSIT- TAKING COMPANIES CONTINUED TO FALL.
NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS
THE NUMBER OF REPORTING BANKS IN APRIL REMAINED AT 122. THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES INCREASED BY 2 TO 7 AND THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES BY 2 TO 351.
/MONETARY STATISTICS