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THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 1985
FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS OF THE MONETARY SECTOR ROSE TO $4.6 BILLION AT THE END OF DECEMBER, COMPARED WITH $2.5 BILLION AT THE END OF NOVEMBER. STATISTICS COLLECTED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF BANKING AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES SHOWED SIMILAR MOVEMENTS, RECORDING $3.3 BILLION OF NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AT THE END OF DECEMBER, COMPARED WITH $1.2 BILLION A MONTH EARLIER. THE RISE IN NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A DECREASE IN NET FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS OF THE MONETARY SECTOR FROM $21.3 BILLION TO $20.5 BILLION. THESE CHANGES PROBABLY REFLECTED SOME FURTHER REDUCTION IN FOREIGN CURRENCY SWAP DEPOSITS AS INTERBANK MONEY MARKET RATES REMAINED RELATIVELY LOW.
LIQUIDITY KATIO
THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S.18 OF THE BANKING CRDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS FELL SLIGHTLY TO 49.6 PER CENT FROM 51.4 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER, THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S.24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ORDINANCE) FOR ALL DEPOSIT- TAKING COMPANIES REMAINED VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED, AT 43.8 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 43.9 PER CENT A MONTH EARLIER.
NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS
THE NUMBER OF OPERATING LICENSED BANKS ROSE BY 1 TO 140, WHILE THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 33. THE NUMBER OF REPORTING DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES FELL TO 310.
NOVEMBER RETAIL SALES SURVEY RESULTS RELEASED
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THE VALUE OF RETAIL SALES IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR, ESTIMATED AT 5630 MILLION, WAS NINE PER CENT HIGHER THAN IN NOVEMBER 1983, AND THE VOLUME WAS SEVEN PER CENT HIGHER, ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL JU. VEY RESULTS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS
ARTMENT.
J.
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NOVEMBER 1984. WHEN
RETAIL SALES FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER COMPARET WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1983, ROSE BY NINE PER CENT IN VALU AND FE PER CENT IN VOLUME.
A COMPARISON