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TUESDAY, JULY 3, 1984
LOANS AND ADVANCES
TOTAL LOANS AND ADVANCES EXTENDED BY BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAK ING COMPANIES ROSE BY 0.8 PER CENT FOLLOWING A RISE OF 0.5 PER CENT IN APRIL. THE INCREASE IN THE THREE MONTHS TO MAY WAS 2.5 PER CENT AND OVER THE 12 MONTHS, 12.7 PER CENT.
LOANS TO FINANCE VISIBLE TRADE, RECORDING THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE MONTHLY INCREASE, GREW BY 2.3 PER CENT. THIS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROBUST PËRFORMANCE OF THE EXPORT SECTOR. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO MAY THE INCREASE WAS 9.1 PER CENT AND OVER THE 12 MONTHS, 12.7 PER CENT.
OTHER LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG, WHICH IS THE MAIN CATEGORY OF LENDING, ROSE BY A MARGINAL 0.3 PER CENT, AGAINST A SMALL DECREASE OF 0.2 PER CENT IN APRIL. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO MAY THE INCREASE WAS 0.6 PER CENT AND OVER THE 12 MONTHS THE
INCREASE WAS 7 PER CENT.
FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
REFLECTING SOME SWITCH INTO FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS, THE NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES OF THE MONETARY SECTOR ROSE FURTHER TO $12.0 BILLION AT THE END OF MAY, FROM $8.9 BILLION AT THE END OF APRIL. BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES HAD NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES OF $9.8 BILLION AND $2.2 BILL ION RESPECTIVELY.
STATISTICS COLLECTED (ON THE BASIS OF SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS) BY THE COMMISSIONER OF BANKING AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES SHOWED THAT NET FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS OF THE MONETARY SECTOR ROSE TO $33.4 BILLION AT THE END OF MAY, FROM $31.9 BILLION AT THE END OF APRIL, SUGGESTING THAT PART OF THE SWITCH OF DEPOSITS MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN THE FORM OF FOREIGN CURRENCY SWAP DEPOSITS.
LIQUIDITY RATIO
THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 18 OF THE BANKING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS FELL TO 49.8 PER CENT FROM 51.9 PER CENT IN APRIL.
HOWEVER, THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 24 OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ORDINANCES) FOR ALL DEPOSIT-TAK ING COMPANIES CONTINUED TO RISE, TO 54.1 PER CENT FROM 53.6 PER CENT IN APRIL.
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