XN000022-1985-01-25 — Page 6

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 1985

LAST MONTH

DECEMBER...

1984

NOVEMBER

1984

$ MN.

$ MN.

INCREASE OR

DECREASE

$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

(% OF TOTAL EXPORTS)

11 887 (56.9%)

11 702 (59.4%)

185

+ 1.6

RE-EXPORTS

9 020

8 008

+ 1 012

+12.6

TOTAL EXPORTS

20 907

19 710

+ 1 197

+ 6.1

IMPORTS

20 906

19 747

+ 1 159

+ 5.9

TRADE BALANCE

1

37

38

JAN-DEC

LAST 12 MONTHS

JAN-DEC

1983

INCREASE OR

DECREASE

1984

$ MN.

$ MN.

$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

137 950

104 405

+33 545

+32.1

(% OF TOTAL EXPORTS)

(62.3%)

(65.0%)

RE-EXPORTS

83 504

56 294

+27 210

+48.3

TOTAL EXPORTS

221 454

160 699

+60 755

+37.8

IMPORTS

223 346

175 442

+47 904

+27.3

TRADE BALANCE

1 892

-

14 743

+12 851

CONSUMER PRICE INDEXES FOR DECEMBER 1984

*****

THE AVERAGE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A) AND AVERAGE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (B) FOR THE WHOLE YEAR OF 1984 WERE 154.9 AND 154.7 RESPECTIVELY, BEING 8.1 PER CENT AND 8.5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGES FOR 1983, ACCORDING TO FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, A GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE AVERAGE RATES OF INCREASE IN 1984 REPRESENTED A SIGNIFICANT SLOWING DOWN WHEN COMPARED WITH THOSE RECORDED IN 1983, WHICH WERE AT 9.9 PER CENT BOTH FOR CPI (A) AND FOR CPI (B). HE POINTED OUT THAT THE STABILITY OF THE HONG KONG DOLLAR AGAINST THE U.S. DOLLAR UNDER THE LINKED EXCHANGE RATE SYSTEM WAS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTORY FACTOR.

/THE CPI (A)