XN000022-1986-02-03 — Page 7

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1986

MONEY SUPPLY ON ALL DEFINITIONS INCREASED. EXCEPT FOR ML (THE NARROWEST DEFINITION), THE TOTAL MONEY SUPPLY INCREASED FASTER THAN THE CORRESPONDING HONG KONG DOLLAR COMPONENTS.

LOANS AND ADVANCES FELL IN DECEMBER. LOANS TO FINANCE VISIBLE TRADE OF HONG KONG INCREASED MODERATELY FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE MONTH, AFTER HAVING FALLEN CONTINUOUSLY FOR SIX MONTHS; OTHER LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG RECORDED SOME DECLINE.

TWO TABLES WILL BE SENT BY FACSIMILE NETWORK, AND WILL BE BOXED SEPARATELY.

TABLE 1 SETS OUT SUMMARY FIGURES FOR DECEMBER 1985 AND COMPARISONS WITH EARLIER MONTHS. TABLE 2 SETS OUT FIGURES FROM THE QUARTERLY ANALYSIS OF LOANS AND ADVANCES FOR USE IN HONG KONG BY SECTOR.

DEPOSITS

HONG KONG DOLLAR DEPOSITS INCREASED FURTHER BY 1.2 PER CENT IN DECEMBER, AFTER AN INCREASE OF 0.4 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO DECEMBER, HONG KONG DOLLAR DEPOSITS GREW BY 3 PER CENT AND OVER THE YEAR THE GROWTH RATE WAS 9.8 PER CENT.

FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS GREW RAPIDLY BY 3 PER CENT IN DECEMBER, FOLLOWING AN INCREASE OF 2.8 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER, IN THE THREE MONTHS TO DECEMBER FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS GREW BY 8.5 PER CENT AND OVER THE YEAR THE GROWTH RATE WAS 35.2 PER CENT.

FOREIGN CURRENCY SWAP DEPOSITS ALSO INCREASED BY 2 PER CENT IN DECEMBER, AFTER AN INCREASE OF 1.8 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER. ADJUSTED TO INCLUDE THESE DEPOSITS, HONG KONG DOLLAR DEPOSITS GREW BY 1.2 PER CENT IN DECEMBER, THE SAME AS THE UNADJUSTED GROWTH RATE, AND BY 3 PER CENT IN THE THREE MONTHS TO DECEMBER 1 ADJUSTED FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS GREW SLIGHTLY FASTER, AT 3.2 PER CENT IN DECEMBER AND AT 9.3 PER CENT IN THE THREE MONTHS TO DECEMBER.

DEPOSITS (ALL CURRENCIES) WITH BANKS INCREASED BY 2.1 PER CENT IN DECEMBER FOLLOWING AN INCREASE OF 1.6 PER CENT IN NOVEMBER: TOTAL DEPOSITS WITH DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES GREW BY 2.2 PER CENT AFTER HAVING REMAINED UNCHANGED IN NOVEMBER. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO DECEMBER, THE GROWTH OF TOTAL DEPOSITS WITH BANKS WAS 6.8 PER CENT, WHILE THAT OF DEPOSITS WITH DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES WAS 2 PER CENT; OVER THE YEAR, THE RESPECTIVE GROWTH RATES WERE 24 PER CENT AND 13.1 PER CENT.

HONG KONG

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