XN000022-1986-04-07 — Page 5

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MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1986

AFTER ADJUSTING FOR SWAP DEPOSITS, HK$M2 AND HK$M3 GREW

FASTER, AT 0.6 PER CENT AND 0.5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN FEBRUARY. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO FEBRUARY, THE CORRESPONDING GROWTH RATES WERE 5.6 PER CENT AND 5.5 PER CENT.

TOTAL MONEY SUPPLY

TOTAL M1 FELL BY 0.7 PER CENT, AFTER AN INCREASE OF 4.8 PER CENT IN JANUARY 1986. TOTAL M2 AND TOTAL M3 GREW BY 2.3 PER CENT AND 2.1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY- THE CORRESPONDING GROWTH RATES IN JANUARY WERE 3.5 PER CENT AND 3.4 PER CENT. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO FEBRUARY, TOTAL M1 GREW BY 4.6 PER CENT, TOTAL M2 BY 8.2 PER CENT, AND TOTAL M3 BY 8.1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER THE 12 MONTHS, THE CORRESPONDING GROWTH RATES WERE 12.4 PER CENT, 26.8 PER CENT AND 26.2 PER CENT.

LOANS AND ADVANCES

LOANS AND ADVANCES EXTENDED BY BANKS AND DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES GREW BY 1.6 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY, AGAINST A DECREASE OF 1.4 PER CENT IN DECEMBER 1985 AND AN INCREASE OF 1.3 PER CENT IN JANUARY 1986. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO FEBRUARY THESE GREW BY 1.4 PER CENT AND OVER THE 12 MONTHS BY 6.8 PER CENT.

LOANS DENOMINATED IN HONG KONG DOLLARS GREW BY 0.5 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY, FOLLOWING AN INCREASE OF 0.7 PER CENT IN JANUARY. LOANS DENOMINATED IN FOREIGN CURRENCIES GREW FASTER, BY 2.6 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY, AGAINST AN INCREASE OF 1.8 PER CENT IN JANUARY. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO FEBRUARY, THE FORMER GREW BY 1.5 PER CENT WHILE THE LATTER GREW BY 1.3 PER CENT.

WITHIN THE TOTAL, LOANS TO FINANCE THE VISIBLE TRADE OF HONG KONG GREW BY 1.3 PER CENT AFTER A DECREASE OF 0.4 PER CENT IN JANUARY. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO FEBRUARY, THESE LOANS GREW BY 2.9 PER CENT, BUT OVER THE 12 MONTHS, THERE WAS A FALL OF 0.2 PER CENT.

OTHER LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG GREW BY 1,5 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY, FOLLOWING AN INCREASE OF ONE PER CENT IN JANUARY. IN THE THREE MONTHS TO FEBRUARY, THEY GREW BY 0.9 PER CENT AND OVER THE 12 MONTHS BY 7.4 PER CENT.

LIQUIDITY RATIOS

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY RATIO (AS DEFINED IN S.18 OF THE BANKING ORDINANCE) FOR ALL BANKS FELL TO 50.9 PER CENT IN

THE AVERAGE LIQUIDITY FEBRUARY FROM 51.2 PER CENT IN JANUARY. RATIO FOR ALL DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES (AS DEFINED IN S.24A OF THE DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES ORDINANCE) FELL TO 44.4 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY FROM 44.5 PER CENT IN JANUARY.

NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

THE NUMBER OF REPORTING LICENSED BANKS INCREASED BY FOUR TO 147. THE NUMBER OF LICENSED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 36. THE NUMBER OF REPORTING REGISTERED DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES DECREASED BY ONE TO 277.