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WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 1983
LOANS AND ADVANCES
TOTAL LOANS AND ADVANCES EXTENDED BY BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ROSE BY 2.3 PER CENT IN MAY, COMPARED WITH A RISE OF 1.3 PER CENT IN APRIL. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO MAY, THEY ROSE BY 5.9 PER CENT AND OVER THE TWELVE MONTHS BY 25.8 PER CENT. LOANS TO FINANCE HONG KONG'S VISIBLE TRADE GREW FURTHER BY A RAPID 4.7 PER CENT, FOLLOWING A GROWTH OF 3.8 PER CENT IN APRIL. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO MAY, THE INCREASE WAS 7.7 PER CENT AND OVER THE TWELVE MONTHS, 15.2 PER CENT. OTHER LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG GREW BY 1.2 PER CENT AFTER EXPERIENCING VIRTUALLY NO GROWTH IN APRIL. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO MAY, THEY ROSE BY 2.5 PER CENT AND OVER THE TWELVE MONTHS, 19.8 PER CENT.
FOREIGN CURRENCY POSITIONS
DURING MAY, BOTH THE SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES OF THE MONETARY SECTOR INCREASED. THE NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY POSITION SHOWED A LIABILITY OF $23.7 BILLION AT THE END OF MAY COMPARED WITH $23.9 BILLION AT THE END OF APRIL. BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES HAD NET LIABILITIES OF $15.3 BILLION AND $8.4 BILLION RESPECTIVELY. STATISTICS COLLECTED (ON THE BASIS OF SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS) BY THE COMMISSIONER OF BANKING AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES SHOW THAT AT THE END OF MAY, THE MONETARY SECTOR HAD NET FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AMOUNTING TO $46.8 BILLION, WHICH MORE THAN COVERED THE NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES OF $24.6 BILLION.
LIQUIDITY RATIOS
THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S.18 OF THE BANK ING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS ROSE IN MAY TO 48.3 PER CENT FROM 47.0 PER CENT IN APRIL. THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ORDINANCE) FOR ALL DEPOSIT- TAKING COMPANIES ALSO ROSE TO 62.8 FROM 62.3 PER CENT IN APRIL.
NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS
THE NUMBER OF REPORTING LICENSED BANKS INCREASED BY 2 TO 132. THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 22, AND THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES
INCREASED BY 1 TO 336.
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