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For each category of statistics specified in the SDDS (e.g. Gross Domestic Product, Employment, Unemployment, Labour Earnings, Production, Prices, External Trade, Money Supply, Banks' Loans and Advances, External Claims and Liabilities, Government Revenue and Expenditure, Exchange Rates, International Reserves), the contact points in Hong Kong from which further details can be obtained are given on the DSBB. The contact points are specific subject officers in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Finance Branch (FB) and the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
To facilitate access to the relevant information, there are electronic hyperlinks between the IMF's DSBB and the summary statistics page of the HKMA web site (http://www.info.gov.hk.hkma). The HKMA summary statistics page contains further electronic hyperlinks to corresponding data pages of the FB and the C&SD. Hong Kong is among the first group of economies to have such electronic linkages with the IMF's DSBB.
"Hong Kong's subscription to the SDDS and listing on the DSBB demonstrate our commitment to openness and transparency in providing economic and financial statistics to the public and the international community," Mr Tsang said.
"Commensurate with our development as a major international financial centre, the increased transparency will strengthen investor interest and confidence in Hong Kong. The move also signifies our support of the IMF's effort to strengthen its surveillance functions for promoting global monetary stability," Mr Tsang added.
Hong Kong informed the IMF of its intention to subscribe to SDDS in October 1996. The HKMA, the FB and the C&SD have been working closely with the IMF on finer details relating to the listing of Hong Kong on the DSBB in the past few months.
End
Residential mortgage survey results for March 1997
New mortgage lending continued to slow down in March according to the results of the latest monthly survey conducted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).
Gross new loans made during the month fell by 10.6% to $16.8 billion, compared with a drop of 8.9% in February. The average size of new loans also dropped to $1.74 million compared with $1.83 million in February.