MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1982
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AS FOR THE 'BANKS' THE MAJORITY OF THE RESPONDENTS INDICATED EXCHANGE RATE UNCERTAINTIES AS THE MAJOR PROBLEM BOTH IN THE 3RD AND 4TH QUARTERS.
THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE SURVEY RESULTS, OBTAINED WITH A MINIMUM TIME LAG, WERE BASICALLY INTENDED TO PROVIDE ONE SOURCE OF REFERENCE FOR MAKING A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION OF HONG KONG.
PARTICIPATING FIRMS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE WHETHER IN THEIR OPINIONS, THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION AND LEVEL OF CAPACITY UTILISATION HAD IMPROVED', 'REMAINED THE SAME' OR 'DETERIORATED" IN THE IMMEDIATELY PAST QUARTER AS COMPARED WITH THE QUARTER BEFORE. FOR THE FORTHCOMING QUARTER, THEY WERE ASKED TO INDICATE WHETHER THE SITUATION WILL IMPROVE 'REMAIN THE SAME OR DETERIORATE' THE BALANCE OF OPINIONS OF RESPONDENTS WERE TABULATED AND ANALYSED.
THE SURVEY REPORT ALSO CONTAINS A SECTION ON BUSINESS PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AND EXPECTED BY FIRMS IN DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SECTORS AND A BREAKDOWN OF VIEWS OF FIRMS BY SIZE GROUPS.
THE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONED THAT FOR A SURVEY OF THIS NATURE, THE RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CARE AS IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH PRECISELY THE EXTENT TO WHICH RESPONDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE PAST AND THE FUTURE ACCORDS WITH THE UNDERLYING TRENDS.
COPIES OF THE REPORT, CONTAINING AN ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY FINDINGS AND STATISTICAL TABLES, HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO FIRMS TAKING PART IN THE SURVEY AND TO OTHER BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY OBTAIN COPIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, AT $3 PER COPY FROM TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
ENQUIRIES CONCERNING THE SURVEY MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT AT 5-423401.
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