XN000022-1981-06-04 — Page 4

THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1981

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IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS M1 FELL BY 13.4 PER CENT WHILE M2 WAS UNCHANGED, AFTER RISING BY 4.0 PER CENT AND 7.4 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN THE PREVIOUS THREE MONTHS. IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS M3 ROSE BY 2.0 PER CENT, VERY SHARPLY DOWN FROM AN INCREASE OF 11.5 PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS THREE MONTHS.

LOANS IN HONG KONG

TOTAL LOANS AND ADVANCES IN HONG KONG GREW BY 1.2 PER CENT IN APRIL. AFTER AN INCREASE OF 2.9 PER CENT IN MARCH. IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS. TOTAL LOANS AND ADVANCES IN HONG KONG ROSE BY 6.5 PER CENT, WELL DOWN FROM AN INCREASE OF 17.2 PER CENT RECORDED IN THE PREVIOUS THREE MONTHS. THIS IS THE SMALLEST PROPORTIONATE INCREASE SINCE THE RISE OF 6.1 PER CENT RECORDED IN THE THREE MONTHS TO OCTOBER 1979.

BANK LOANS IN HONG KONG ROSE IN APRIL BY 0.5 PER CENT AND LOANS IN HONG KONG BY DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES BY 3.5 PER CENT, AS COMPARED WITH THE INCREASES OF 2.7 PER CENT AND 3.4 PER CENT IN MARCH RESPECTIVELY. BUT THE GROWTH RATES OF LOANS IN HONG KONG BY BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS AT, RESPECTIVELY, 5.8 PER CENT AND 8.7 PER CENT, WERE MUCH LESS THAN THE IR INCREASES OF 18.2 PER CENT AND 14.1 PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS THREE MONTHS.

FOREIGN ASSETS

THE NET IDENTIFIABLE FOREIGN ASSETS OF ALL BANKS ROSE IN APRIL BY $2 624 MN, WHILE THOSE OF DTCS REDUCED BY $993 MN, INDICATING A NET INFLOW OF FUNDS INTO THE HONG KONG MONETARY SECTOR OF $1 631 MM, AGAINST AN OUTFLOW OF $1 848 MN IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH.

BALANCE SHEET RATIOS

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO FOR ALL BANKS IN HONG KONG ROSE FURTHER IN APRIL TO 47.6 PER CENT FROM 46.4 PER CENT IN MARCH. THE LOAN/DEPOSIT RATIO ALSO ROSE TO 113.4 PER CENT AT THE END OF APRIL FROM 113.1 PER CENT AT THE END OF MARCH.

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO FOR ALL DTCS ROSE IN APRIL TO 45.6 PER CENT FROM 44.2 PER CENT IN MARCH. THE LOAN/DEPOSIT RATIO ROSE FURTHER TO 70.3 PER CENT AT THE END OF APRIL FROM 68.8 PER CENT AT THE END OF MARCH.

NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

THE NUMBER OF REPORTING BANKS REMAINED UNCHANGED IN APRIL AT 115. THE NUMBER OF REPORTING DEPOS IT-TAKING COMPANIES ROSÈ BY ANOTHER 10 DURING THE MONTH TO 342.

MONEY AND