TUES...Y, NOVEMBER 22, 1983
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FIRMS IN THE WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE' BUSINESS ALSO INDICATED UNCERTAINTIES OVER EXCHANGE RATE FLUCTUATIONS, HIGH INTEREST RATES AND PRICE COMPETITION AS PREDOMINANT PROBLEMS IN THE THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTERS.
INSUFFICIENT BUSINESS AND PRICE COMPETITION STILL REMAINED
THE PREDOMINANT PROBLEMS FOR THE 'RESTAURANTS' SECTOR.
RESPONDENTS IN THE 'HOTELS' SECTOR CONTINUED TO INDICATE PRICE COMPETITION AS THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR BOTH THE THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTERS.
AS FOR BANKS, RESPONDENTS INDICATED EXCHANGE RATE UNCERTAINTIES AS THE MAJOR PROBLEM BOTH FOR THE THIRD AND FOURTH 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 SALE CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, AT $3 PER
COPY.
FURTHER DETAILS ON THE QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE NATIONAL INCOME BRANCH OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT AT 5-423401.