XN000022-1986-11-19 — Page 38

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1986

+

36

SECOND QUARTER INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION INDEX PUBLISHED

******

THE INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1986, AT 144.3, WAS 19.7 POINTS OR 15.8 PER CENT ABOVE THAT IN THE SAME QUARTER OF 1985, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING QUARTER, THE INDEX SHOWED A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OF 27.5 POINTS OR 23.5 PER CENT. THIS WAS PARTLY DUE TO SEASONAL EFFECTS AS THE FIRST QUARTER HAD FEWER WORKING DAYS BECAUSE OF THE CHINESE NEW YEAR.

MANY INDUSTRIES REPORTED AN INCREASE IN PRODUCTION OVER THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1985, NOTABLY TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT (+43.0 PER CENT), WEARING APPAREL (+25.1 PER CENT) PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT, PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS (+23.8 PER CENT) AND TEXTILES (+23.1 PER CENT).

SHIP RENOVATION AND REPAIRINGS WOMEN'S AND GIRLS' BLOUSES › MEN'S AND BOYS' SHIRTS AND T-SHIRTS KNITWEAR MECHANICAL AND ELECTRONIC WATCHES AND CLOCKS WERE AMONG THOSE PRODUCTS OR INDUSTRIAL SERVICES WITH A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN OUTPUT.

INDUSTRIES WITH A DECREASE IN PRODUCTION COMPARED WITH THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1985 WERE RUBBER PRODUCTS (-20.1 PER CENT) TOBACCO (-16.1 PER CENT); AND ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PARTS, ACCESSORIES AND MACHINERY (-2.4 PER CENT).

COMPARING THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1986 WITH THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, ALMOST ALL INDUSTRIES RECORDED A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN THE VOLUME OF PRODUCTION. THE MOST MARKED INCREASES WERE REGISTERED IN FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS (+51.2 PER CENT), TEXTILES (+45.9 PER CENT), PLASTIC PRODUCTS (+41.6 PER CENT), PAPER AND PAPER PRODUCTS (+40,3 PER CENT), BEVERAGES (+28.1 PER CENT) AND NON-ELECTRICAL MACHINERY (+27.2 PER CENT).

ONLY THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT DROP OF 21.0 PER CENT IN PRODUCTION OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER. ACCORDING TO SOME MANUFACTURERS, THIS WAS PARTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO LOWER DEMAND FROM CHINA.

IN RELEASING