XN000022-1987-10-24 — Page 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1987

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PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR SEPTEMBER RELEASED

THE STRONG GROWTH IN EXTERNAL TRADE CONTINUED IN SEPTEMBER 1987. ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY (SATURDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN SEPTEMBER 1987 WAS $17,843 MILLION, 28.0 PER CENT OR $3,899 MILLION HIGHER THAN IN SEPTEMBER 1986, WHILE THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY 48.3 PER CENT OR $5,376 MILLION ΤΟ $16,502 MILLION.

TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS, AT $34,345 MILLION, WAS 37.0 PER CENT OR $9,275 MILLION HIGHER THAN IN SEPTEMBER 1986. THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY 39.7 PER CENT OR $9,318 MILLION OVER SEPTEMBER 1986 TO $32,766 MILLION.

AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS IN SEPTEMBER 1987 WAS GREATER THAN THAT OF IMPORTS, A VISIBLE TRADE SURPLUS OF $1,579 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 4.8 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED FOR THE MONTH. THIS SURPLUS IS LARGELY SEASONAL, REFLECTING THE TIMING OF EXPORT SHIPMENTS TO MEET THE WINTER SEASON IN HONG KONG S OVERSEAS MARKETS. IT COMPARES WITH A SURPLUS OF $1,622 MILLION, EQUIVALENT то 6.9 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, RECORDED IN SEPTEMBER 1986.

PUTTING THE MONTH'S TRADE FIGURES INTO CONTEXT,

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 1987 WAS $270,215 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF $141,139 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS OF $129,076 MILLION.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD IN 1986, THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS GREW BY $76,476 MILLION OR 39.5 PER

CENT, THAT OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS BY $32,753 MILLION OR 30.2 PER CENT, AND THAT OF RE-EXPORTS BY $43,723 MILLION OR 51.2 PER CENT,

OVER THIS PERIOD, THE VALUE OF IMPORTS GREW BY $75,713 MILLION

OR 38.9 PER CENT, TO $270,150 MILLION.

AS THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS WAS ROUGHLY THE SAME AS THAT OF BALANCE, WITH A IMPORTS, THE VISIBLE TRADE ACCOUNT WAS VIRTUALLY IN VERY SMALL SURPLUS OF $65 MILLION.

THIS COMPARES WITH A DEFICIT OF 0.4 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, MONTHS OF 1986.

$698 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO RECORDED IN THE FIRST NINE

/COMMENTING ON .......