XN000022-1977-01-26 — Page 2

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1977

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR DECEMBER 1976

*****

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY PUBLISHED THE PROVISIONAL FIGURES FOR HONG KONG'S EXTERNAL MERCHANDISE TRADE DURING DECEMBER 1976. THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FOR DECEMBER WAS $3,092 MILLION, IMPORTS WERE WORTH $4,067 MILLION AND RE- EXPORTS $812 MILLION.

THE FIGURES FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1976 (LATEST THREE MONTHS) SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1975 OF 33.7 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 20 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 27.3 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH IN 1975, INCREASES, BY VALUE,

+ OF $800 MILLION OR 34.9 PER CENT IN EXPORTS, $629 MILLION OR 18.3 PER CENT IN IMPORTS AND $186 MILLION OR 29.7 PER CENT IN RE- EXPORTS WERE RECORDED.

THE SHORT TERM CHANGES, DECEMBER 1976 COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1976, SHOWED INCREASES OF $301 MILLION OR 10.8 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND $365 MILLION OR 9.9 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS. THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS DECLINED BY $6 MILLION OR 0.7 PER CENT.

THE FIGURES FOR THE WHOLE YEAR OF 1976 COMPARED WITH THOSE OF 1975 SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, OF 42.7 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 29.3 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 28 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

INCREASE OR DECREASE

$MN. PERCENTAGE

+ 2,220 + 33.7

OCTOBER-

OCTOBER-

DECEMBER

DECEMBER

LATEST THREE MONTHS

1976

1975

$ MN.

$ MN.

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

8,807

6,586

IMPORTS

11,715

9,762

+ 1,953 + 20.0

RE-EXPORTS

2,437

1,914

523

SAME MONTH

DECEMBER

DECEMBER

LAST YEAR

1976

1975

$ MN.

$ MN.

$MN.

+ 27.3

INCREASE OR DECREASE

PERCENTAGE

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

3,092

2,292

800

+ 34.9

(PERCENTAGE OF

(79.2

(78.5

TOTAL EXPORTS)

PER CENT)

PER CENT)

IMPORTS

4,067

3,438

629

+ 18.3

RE-EXPORTS

812

626

186

+ 29.7

(PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL EXPORTS)

(20.8

21.5

PER CENT)

PER CENT)

/LAST MONTH