XN000022-1978-05-13 — Page 2

SATURDAY, MAY 13, 1978

REPORT ON QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY

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THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT HAS COMPILED A REPORT ON A QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY HELD IN APRIL THIS YEAR THE FIFTH OF A SERIES OF QUARTERLY SURVEYS.

IN THE SURVEY ABOUT 700 FIRMS FROM VARIOUS INDUSTRIES, FORMING A CROSS-SECTION OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY, WERE ASKED ABOUT THE IR BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST QUARTER THIS YEAR AND THEIR BUSINESS EXPECTATIONS IN THE SECOND QUARTER.

THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY SUGGESTED THAT THE MANUFACTURING DIVISION, WHICH EXPERIENCED ITS USUAL LOW FIRST QUARTER, WAS EXPECTING A CONSIDERABLE UPTURN IN BUSINESS IN THE SECOND QUARTER.

'ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPLIANCES AND SUPPLIES' AND 'FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS ARE THE TWO MOST ENCOURAGING SECTORS WHICH REPORTED GOOD FIRST QUARTER PERFORMANCE AND LOOKED FORWARD TO GOOD PROSPECTS IN THE SECOND QUARTER.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE WATCHES AND CLOCKS INDUSTRY EXPERIENCED SOME SLOW-DOWN IN BUSINESS AFTER GOOD PERFORMANCE IN 1977 AND HAD RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE IMMEDIATE PROSPECTS IN THE SECOND QUARTER.

FOR NON-MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR, WHICH REPORTED REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN ALL FOUR PREVIOUS SURVEYS, EXPECTED ITS UPTREND TO CONTINUE.

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE AND RESTAURANTS REPORTED A SATISFACTORY FIRST QUARTER, BETTER THAN ORIGINALLY EXPECTED, BUT DUE TO SEASONAL EFFECT, A SLOW-DOWN IN THE SECOND QUARTER PERFORMANCE IS PREDICTED.

HOTELS AND OTHER SERVICES WERE CONFIDENT OF A CONTINUATION IN THEIR STRONG UPTREND IN BUSINESS.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SAID THE DATA, OBTAINED WITH A MINIMUM TIME LAG, WERE BASICALLY INTENDED TO FACILITATE A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION OF HONG KONG.

OMIC

+APART FROM A LIMITED NUMBER OF QUESTIONS REQUIRING ANSWERS IN QUANTITATIVE TERMS. THE FIRMS WERE ASKED TO COMPARE THE QUARTER JUST PAST WITH THE PREVIOUS QUARTER AND SIMILARLY WITH THE FORTHCOMING ONE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

+THEY ONLY HAD TO INDICATE WHETHER, IN THEIR OPINION, A CERTAIN VARIABLE WAS UP, SAME OR DOWN, HE ADDED.

THE SPOKESMAN