XN000022-1983-10-06 — Page 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1983

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DEPOSITS HELD WITH REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES

GREW BY 4.3 PER CENT. THIS WAS THE FIRST MONTHLY INCREASE SINCE NOVEMBER 1982.

LOANS AND ADVANCES

TOTAL LOANS AND ADVANCES EXTENDED BY BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAK ING COMPANIES ROSE BY 2.2 PER CENT IN AUGUST, FOLLOWING AN INCREASE OF 1.4 PER CENT IN JULY. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO AUGUST, THEY ROSE BY 4.4 PER CENT AND OVER THE TWELVE MONTHS BY 22.9 PER CENT. LOANS TO FINANCE HONG KONG'S VISIBLE TRADE GREW BY 0.4 PER CENT, LARGELY REFLECTING THE HIGHER HONG KONG DOLLAR VALUE OF THE FOREIGN CURRENCY LOANS OUTSTANDING, FOLLOWING THE 1 PER CENT DROP IN JULY. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO AUGUST, THEY FELL BY 0.9 PER CENT. OTHER LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG, HOWEVER, GREW BY 1.6 PER CENT, FOLLOWING A RISE OF 1.3 PER CENT IN JULY. AS THESE WERE LARGELY DENOMINATED IN HONG KONG DOLLARS, THE INCREASE IMPLIED SOME UNDERLYING INCREASE IN LENDING. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO AUGUST, THESE INCREASED BY 4 PER CENT.

FOREIGN CURRENCY POSITIONS

THE SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY POSITION OF THE MONETARY SECTOR AT THE END OF AUGUST SHOWS NET LIABILITIES OF $25 BILLION, COMPARED WITH $25.4 BILLION AT THE END OF JULY. BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAK ING COMPANIES HAD NET LIABILITIES OF $17.1 BILLION AND $7.9 BILLION RESPECTIVELY. STATISTICS COLLECTED (ON THE BASIS OF SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS) BY THE COMMISSIONER OF BANKING AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES SHOW THAT AT THE END OF AUGUST THE MONETARY SECTOR HAD NET SPOT LIABILITIES OF $25.5 BILLION, WHICH WERE MORE THAN COVERED BY NET FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS OF $49.6 BILLION.

LIQUIDITY RATIOS

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S.18 OF THE BANKING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS FELL MARGINALLY TO 48.5 PER CENT FROM 48.8 PER CENT IN JULY. THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S.24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANY ORDINANCE) FOR ALL DEPOSIT-TAXING COMPANIES ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY TO 66.2 PER CENT FROM 62.9 PER CENT IN JULY.

NUMBERS OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

THE NUMBER OF REPORTING LICENSED BANKS INCREASED BY 1 TO 133. THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 29 AND THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES INCREASED BY 1 TO 320.

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