XN000022-1985-01-02 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1985

FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

THE SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY POSITION OF THE MONETARY SECTOR SHOWED NET ASSETS OF $2.5 BILLION AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, COMPARED WITH NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES OF $3.7 BILLION AT THE END OF OCTOBER. THE LAST TIME WHEN A NET ASSET POSITION WAS RECORDED WAS IN FEBRUARY 1982.

STATISTICS COLLECTED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF BANKING AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES SHOWED SIMILAR MOVEMENTS. THERE WERE $1.2 BILLION OF NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, COMPARED WITH $5.5 BILLION OF NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY LIABILITIES A MONTH EARLIER.

THIS SHIFT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A FURTHER REDUCTION IN NET FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS OF THE MONETARY SECTOR FROM $26.5 BILLION TO $21.3 BILLION, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT. THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME UNWINDING OF FOREIGN CURRENCY SWAP DEPOSITS AS INTERBANK MONEY MARKET RATES CONTINUED TO EASE.

LIQUIDITY RATIO

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 18 OF THE BANKING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS IMPROVED TO 51.4 PER CENT FROM 49.9 PER CENT IN OCTOBER. THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ORDINANCE) FOR ALL DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES WAS 43.9 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 45.6 PER CENT IN OCTOBER.

NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

THE NUMBER OF OPERATING LICENSED BANKS ROSE BY 3 TO 139, AND THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ROSE BY 1 TO 33. THE NUMBER OF REPORTING REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES FELL TO 312.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE SETS OUT SUMMARY FIGURES FOR NOVEMBER 1984 AND COMPARISIONS WITH EARLY MONTHS:

MONETARY STATISTICS