26
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1989
MIXED
A EXPORTS TO THE VARIOUS MAJOR MARKETS SHOWED DOMESTIC
WITH PERFORMANCE,
FASTEST EXPORTS TO JAPAN AND CHINA RECORDING THE INCREASES IN REAL TERMS IN THE FIRST QUARTER, BY ABOUT 37 PER CENT AND 33 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER A YEAR EARLIER.
DOMESTIC EXPORTS
PER
OF
10 TO THE UNITED KINGDOM GREW BY ABOUT CENT, WHILE
REPUBLIC THOSE TO THE UNITED STATES AND THE FEDERAL GERMANY FELL BY ABOUT 3 PER CENT AND 6 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.
A
AS A RESULT, THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF THE UNITED STATES AS
IN THE MARKET FOR HONG KONG'S DOMESTIC EXPORTS FELL TO 29 PER CENT FIRST QUARTER OF 1989, FROM A HIGH OF 47 PER CENT IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1985.
RE-EXPORTS ROSE BY ABOUT 34 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1989 OVER THE SAME QUARTER LAST YEAR.
EXPORTS
THIS RAPID
PARTLY
WITH TO
IN THE
TOTAL FIRST QUARTER, 61 PER CENT BY VALUE OF WERE RE-EXPORTS, COMPARED WITH 54 PER CENT A YEAR EARLIER. SHIFT WAS ATTRIBUTABLE PARTLY TO THE FLOURISHING ENTREPOT TRADE
AND CHINA
WITH
AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION GENERALLY, INCREASED OUTWARD PROCESSING ACTIVITIES.
OVER THE SAME PERIOD, IMPORTS GREW BY ABOUT 26 PER RETAINED IMPORTS BY ABOUT 19 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS.
CENT,
AND
A VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT OF $6,982 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 5 CENT OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1989.
PER
!
THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF $1,829 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 2 PER CENT OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN THE SAME QUARTER LAST YEAR.
WITHIN THE LOCAL ECONOMY, CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE REMAINED STRONG, SUPPORTED BY INCREASES IN REAL INCOMES OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
INDICATION,
RETAINED IMPORTS
OF
AND RESPECTIVELY
OF
AS AN
FOODSTUFFS CONSUMER GOODS GREW BY ABOUT 17 PER CENT AND 7 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS IN THE FIRST QUARTER COMPARED WITH A YEAR EARLIER.
AND
REFLECTING THE CONTINUED HIGH LEVEL OF INVESTMENT IN PLANT EQUIPMENT, RETAINED IMPORTS OF CAPITAL GOODS GREW BY ABOUT 17 PER CENT IN REAL TERMS OVER THE SAME PERIOD.
YEAR
ON INFLATION, THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) RECORDED A RATE OF INCREASE OF 9.8 PER CENT IN THE FIRST QUARTER, WITH 7.9 PER CENT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF LAST YEAR.
YEAR-ON- COMPARED
|
THE CORRESPONDING RATES OF INCREASE FOR THE CP1(B) AND THE HANG SENG CPI IN THE FIRST QUARTER WERE 9.4 PER CENT AND 10.7 PER CENT.
OF FOODSTUFFS AND IN
INCREASES
IN THE RETAIL PRICES
ACCOUNTED FOR FOR SERVICES CHARGES INCREASE IN CONSUMER PRICES.
A MAJOR PART OF THE OVERALL
/GIVEN THE
J