XN000022-1985-03-29 — Page 4

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1965

WITHIN THE TOTAL, LOANS TO FINANCE VISIBLE TRADE RECOVERED SOMEWHAT, GROWING BY 2.5 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY AFTER A DECREASE OF 6.3 PER CENT IN JANUARY. WHILE THEY FELL BY 4.7 PER CENT OVER THE LATEST THREE MONTHS, THEY WERE STILL 6.5 PER CENT HIGHER OVER THE TWELVE MONTHS, OTHER LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG CONTINUED TO GROW SLOWLY BY 0.6 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 0.8 PER CENT IN JANUARY. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO FEBRUARY, THEY ROSE BY 2.1 PER CENT AND OVER THE TWELVE MONTHS BY 6.5 PER CENT.

FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

THE SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY POSITION OF THE MONETARY SECTOR SHOWED NET ASSETS AT $4.6 BILLION AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED FROM THAT AT THE END OF THE PREVIOUS MONTH. SIMILAR STATISTICS COLLECTED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF BANKING AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES (ON THE BASIS OF SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS) SHOWED A RISE IN NET SPOT FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS OF $4.3 BILLION TO $9.0 BILLION AND A FALL IN NET FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY ASSETS OF $6.0 BILLION TO $15.5 BILLION,

LIQUIDITY RATIO

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 18 OF THE BANKING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS WAS SLIGHTLY LOWER, AT 49.1 PER

THE CENT, COMPARED WITH 49.9 PER CENT IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH. AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S. 24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ORDINANCE) FOR ALL DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES WAS 47.1 PER CENT, SOMEWHAT BELOW 48.3 PER CENT A MONTH EARLIER.

NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

THE NUMBER OF BANKS LICENSED ROSE BY ONE TO 141, BUT THE NEW ONE WAS NOT YET OPERATING. THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES IN OPERATION STAYED AT 33. THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES FELL TO 306.

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