XN000022-1981-03-05 — Page 3

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BANK LOANS IN HONG KONG ROSE BY 6.2 PER CENT IN JANUARY, AFTER RISING BY 4.5 PER CENT IN DECEMBER. LOANS IN HONG KONG BY DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ROSE BY 5.6 PER CENT, UP FROM A 2.2 PER CENT RISE IN DECEMBER. IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, BANK LOANS IN HONG KONG EXPANDED BY 18.2 PER CENT AND LOANS IN HONG KONG BY DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES BY 14.1 PER CENT, AS COMPARED WITH THE INCREASES OF 15.7 PER CENT AND 13.2 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN THE PRECEDING THREE MONTHS.

FOREIGN ASSETS

THE NET IDENTIFIABLE FOREIGN ASSETS OF ALL BANKS ROSE IN JANUARY BY $464M, BUT THOSE OF DTCS FELL BY $1 438M, INDICATING AN OUTFLOW OF $974M. FROM THE HONG KONG MONETARY SECTOR DURING THE MONTH, AFTER AN INFLOW OF $576M IN DECEMBER.

BALANCE SHEET RATIOS

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO FOR ALL BANKS IN HONG KONG FELL IN JANUARY TO 46.3 PER CENT FROM 48. 4 PER CENT IN DECEMBER. THE LOAN/DEPOSIT RATIO, HOWEVER, ROSE FURTHER TO 108, 8 PER CENT AT THE END OF JANUARY FROM 107.3 PER CENT AT THE END OF DECEMBER, REFLECTING THE RAPID EXPANSION IN BANK LOANS DURING THE MONTH.

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO FOR ALL DTCS REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 44. 2 PER CENT IN JANUARY. THE LOAN/DEPOSIT RATIO ROSE TO 70. 9 PER CENT AT THE END OF JANUARY FROM 68. 6 PER CENT AT THE END OF DECEMBER, AS THE GROWTH RATE OF DEPOSITS WITH DTCS SLOWED DOWN SHARPLY DURING THE MONTH.

NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

ONE MORE BANK BEGAN TO REPORT IN JANUARY, BRINGING THEIR TOTAL TO 114. THE NUMBER OF REPORTING DTCS ROSE BY 10 DURING THE MONTH TO 312.

THE DETAILED FIGURES FOR JANUARY 1981, AND COMPARISONS WITH EARLIER MONTHS, ARE SET OUT IN THE FOLLOWING TABLE:

MONEY AND BANKING FIGURES

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+

END OF JANUARY 1981 (IN HK$ MILLION)

FIGURES FOR EARLIER MONTHS

(% CHANGE)

JAN 1981

DEC

1980

ост 1980

JAN

1980

M1

26 607

24 124 (+10.3%)

M2

102 745

96 862 (+6.1%)

M3

146 430

139 578 (+4,99%)

25 575 (+4.09%)

95 636 (+7.49%)

131 311 (+11.5%)

/BANKS

21 226 (+25.4%)

77 436 (+32.7%)

105 032 (+39.4%)