XN000022-1988-03-24 — Page 9

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THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1988

THE VALUE OF TOTAL EXPORTS FOR THE FIRST WAS $64,395 MILLION, MADE UP OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS OF $34,278 MILLION.

TWO MONTHS OF 1988 OF $30,117 MILLION

COMPARED WITH THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 1987, THE VALUE OF

38 PER CENT THAT OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS GREW BY $17,730 MILLION OR EXPORTS BY $6,072 MILLION OR 25.3 PER CENT, AND THAT OF RE-EXPORTS 911,658 MILLION OR 51.5 PER CENT.

TOTAL

BY

$13,986 SURPLUS

OF IMPORTS GREW BY OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE VALUE MILLION OR 29.4 PER CENT, TO $61,620 MILLION. A VISIBLE TRADE OF $2,775 MILLION, EQUIVALENT TO 4.5 PER CENT OF THE VALUE OF IMPORTS, WAS RECORDED FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF 1988.

THESE FIGURES, A

ON COMMENTING

GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT WHILE THE GROWTH RATE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN THE SOME DECELERATION IN FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THIS YEAR WAS STILL RAPID, GROWTH HAD OCCURRED SINCE THE FOURTH QUARTER OF LAST YEAR.

HE ADDED THAT THE STRONG GROWTH IN RE-EXPORTS WAS A

OF THE FLOURISHING ENTREPOT TRADE.

REFLECTION

IN IMPORTS IN HOWEVER, HE POINTED OUT THAT THE SLOWER GROWTH

THE GROWTH RATE OF FEBRUARY MIGHT SIGNAL A FURTHER DECELERATION IN DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN THE COMING MONTHS.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY 1988.

PROVISIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY, 1988

MERCHANDISE: DOMESTIC EXPORTS : $13,641 MILLION

TRADE

RE-EXPORTS TOTAL EXPORTS IMPORTS

$15,914 MILLION $29,555 MILLION

TRADE BALANCE

$28,470 MILLION $ 1,085 MILLION

[IN SURPLUS ]

COMPARATIVE FIGURES

LATEST 3 MONTHS

DEC 87 ΤΟ FEB 88 HK$ MN.

DEC 86 ΤΟ FEB 87 HK$ MN.

+

INCREASE

HK$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

48,967

39,413

9,554

24.2

RE-EXPORTS

53.334

35,247

18,087 51.3

TOTAL EXPORTS

102,301

74,660

27,641 37.0

IMPORTS

100,438

75,102

25,336

33.7

TRADE BALANCE

1,863

-442

2,306

/SAME MONTH