2
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 1988
COMPARED WITH THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1987, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $22,025 MILLION OR 29.4 PER
CENT, THAT OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $5,641 MILLION OR 14.6 PER CENT, AND THAT OF RE-EXPORTS $16,384 MILLION OR 44.9 PER CENT.
BY
OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY $20,501 MILLION OR 26.2 PER CENT, TO $98,867 MILLION.
EQUIVALENT
TO 1.9
A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $1,830 MILLION, PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1988.
THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF $3,354 MILLION, 4.3 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN THE OF 1987.
EQUIVALENT ΤΟ FIRST QUARTER
COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE SETBACK IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS WAS GREATER THAN MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED. THIS SETBACK MAY BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO A SLOWER GROWTH IN THE DEMAND FOR IMPORTS IN HONG KONG'S MAJOR OVERSEAS MARKETS, AND TO A GRADUAL REDUCTION OF THE EFFECT OF THE DEPRECIATION OF HONG KONG DOLLAR DURING THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
GIVEN THE SLOW GROWTH IN RETAINED IMPORTS SINCE PERFORMANCE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS SEEMED LIKELY TO REMAIN THE COMING MONTHS.
JANUARY, THE MODERATE IN
HOWEVER, MORE OBSERVATIONS OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS ARE REQUIRED BEFORE ANY TREND CAN BE SAID TO HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED.
THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR MARCH 1988:
T
MERCHANDISE:
DOMESTIC EXPORTS RE-EXPORTS TOTAL EXPORTS IMPORTS
$14,052 MILLION
$18,590 MILLION
TRADE BALANCE
$32,642 MILLION $37,246 MILLION $ 4,604 MILLION
[IN DEFICIT]
COMPARATIVE FIGURES
LATEST 3 MONTHS
JAN 88 TO MAR 88
HK$ MN.
JAN 87 ΤΟ MAR 87 HK$ MN.
INCREASE
HK$ MN.
%
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
44,169
(% OF TOTAL EXPORTS}
(45.5%)
38,528 (51.4%)
5,641 14.6
RE-EXPORTS
52,868
36,484
16,384
44.9
TOTAL EXPORTS