XN000022-1982-10-08 — Page 3

OCTOBER

LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG

LOANS AND ADVANCES OUTSTANDING BY BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES FOR USE IN HONG KONG ROSE IN AUGUST BY 2.1 PER CENT, AFTER AN INCREASE OF 1.3 PER CENT IN JULY. OVER THREE MONTHS THE INCREASE WAS 5.8 PER CENT, AND OVER TWELVE MONTHS 36.4 PER CENT.

WITHIN THE TOTAL, LOANS BY BANKS ROSE IN AUGUST BY 2.9 PER CENT AND THOSE BY DEPÓS IT-TAK ING COMPANIES FELL BY 0.2 PER CENT, FOLLOWING INCREASES OF 0.6 PER CENT AND 3.3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH.

FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

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THERE WERE INCREASES IN AUGUST OF $19.5 BN., TO $505,2 BN. IN THE SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES OF THE MONETARY SECTOR AND OF $21.2 BN., TO $492 BN., IN THE SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS. THUS, THE SECTOR AS A WHOLE HAD NET FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES AT THE END OF AUGUST OF $13.1 BN., COMPARED TO $14.8 BN. AT THE END OF JULY. WITHIN THE AUGUST FIGURE + BANKS HAD NET LIABILITIES OF $5 BN., AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES HAD NET LIABILITIES OF $8.1 BN.

BALANCE SHEET RATIOS

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 18 OF THE BANKING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS IN HONG KONG ROSE SLIGHTLY IN AUGUST, TO 48.1 PER CENT FROM 47.9 PER CENT IN JULY. THE RATIO OF THE IR LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG TO THEIR DEPOSITS FELL AGAIN, TO 75.6 PER CENT AT THE END OF AUGUST FROM 78.6 PER CENT AT THE END OF JULY, REFLECTING IN PARTICULAR THE CONTINUED BRISK EXPANSION OF DEPOSITS WITH BANKS DURING THE MONTH.

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAK ING COMPANIES ORDINANCE) FOR ALL DEPOSIT-TAK ING COMPANIES FELL TO 52.8 PER CENT IN AUGUST FROM 54.2 PER CENT IN JULY. THE RATIO OF THEIR LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG TO THE IR DEPOSITS ROSE FURTHER TO 103.2 PER CENT AT THE END OF AUGUST FROM 99.1 PER CENT AT THE END OF JULY, AS THEIR DEPOSITS DECLINED.

NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

THE NUMBER OF REPORTING BANKS IN AUGUST REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 124. THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES INCREASED BY 1 TO 16 AND THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES FELL BY 1 TO 344.