XN000022-1982-11-25 — Page 5

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1982

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PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR OCTOBER 1982

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THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR OCTOBER WAS $10 702 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $7 087 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $3 615 MILLION ACCORDING TO PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR HONG KONG'S VISIBLE TRADE IN OCTOBER 1982 PUBLISHED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT TODAY.

WITH IMPORTS AT $12 218 MILLION, THE VISIBLE TRADE DEFICIT FOR OCTOBER WAS $1 516 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH IN 1981, THERE WERE THE FOLLOWING DECREASES IN VALUE: $447 MILLION OR SIX PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, $76 MILLION OR TWO PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS AND $523 MILLION OR FIVE PER CENT FOR TOTAL EXPORTS.

THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, HOWEVER, INCREASED BY $145 MILLION OR ONE PER CENT. THE VISIBLE TRADE GÁP THAT IS THE PROPORTION OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS NOT COVERED BY THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT 12 PER CENT IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR WAS LARGER THAN THE SEVEN PER CENT IN OCTOBER 1981.

COMMENTING ON THE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT AS CONSUMER DEMAND IN HONG KONG'S MAIN MARKETS REMAINED WEAK, THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN HONG KONG'S EXPORT PERFORMANCE IN OCTOBER. IMPORTS, ON THE OTHER HAND, SHOWED FAINT SIGNS OF PICKING UP.

PUTTING THE OCTOBER TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT, THE GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT COMPARING THE FIRST TEN MONTHS OF 1982 WITH THE FIRST TEN MONTHS OF 1981, THE VALUES OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY THREE PER CENT AND SIX PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

AS A RESULT, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS INCREASED BY FOUR PER CENT, AGAINST AN INCREASE OF THREE PER CENT IN THE VALUE OF IMPORTS.

IN CONSEQUENCE, THE VISIBLE TRADE GAP NARROWED SLIGHTLY OVER THIS PERIOD TO 11 PER CENT, FROM 12 PER CENT IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD OF 1981.

THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT HAS RELEASED THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR OCTOBER 1-

MERCHANDISE: DOMESTIC EXPORTS

RE-EXPORTS

TOTAL EXPORTS

IMPORTS

TRADE BALANCE

# $ 7 087 MILLION

$ 3 615 MILLION

: $10 702 MILLION

■ $12 218 MILLION

. $ 1 516 MILLION (IN DEFICIT)

/COMPARATIVE FIGURES