XN000022-1990-02-26 — Page 9

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1990

THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS, WHICH OCCURRED IN LATE JANUARY THIS YEAR BUT IN EARLY FEBRUARY LAST YEAR, MIGHT HAVE ALSO REDUCED THE GROWTH RATE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN JANUARY THIS YEAR.

AS REGARDS RE-EXPORTS, THE SLOW-DOWN IN GROWTH WAS MAINLY DUE TO A MARKED DECLINE IN RE-EXPORTS TO CHINA, ALTHOUGH RE-EXPORTS OF CHINA ORIGIN STILL RECORDED SIGNIFICANT GROWTH.

THE SPOKESMAN ADDED THAT, ON A YEAR-ON-YEAR COMPARISON, THE VALUE OF RETAINED IMPORTS SHOWED MARKED DECLINES IN RECENT MONTHS. THIS SUGGESTED THAT BOTH DOMESTIC DEMAND AND DOMESTIC EXPORTS WOULD PROBABLY REMAIN WEAK IN THE SHORT TERM.

THE FOLLOWING TABLE PRESENTS THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY 1990.

MERCHANDISE:

DOMESTIC EXPORTS RE-EXPORTS TOTAL EXPORTS IMPORTS

TRADE BALANCE

16,638 MILLION 27,960 MILLION $44,598 MILLION $41,092 MILLION $ 3,506 MILLION

COMPARATIVE FIGURES

[IN SURPLUS]

LATEST 3 MONTHS

NOV 89 TO JAN 90

HK$ MN.

NOV 88 то JAN 89 HK$ MN.

INCREASE

HK$ MN.

%%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

55,965

RE-EXPORTS

TOTAL EXPORTS

87,593

143,558

58,486

82,084

140,570.

-2,521 -4.3

5,509

2,988

6.7

2.1

IMPORTS

134,879

141,543

-6,664 -4.7

TRADE BALANCE

8,679

-973

9,652

JANUARY

SAME MONTH LAST YEAR

1990 HK$ MN.

JANUARY

1989 HK$ MN.

INCREASE

HK$ MN.

%

DOMESTIC EXPORTS

(% OF TOTAL EXPORTS)

RE-EXPORTS

16,638

17,262

-624 -3.6

(37.3%)

(39.7%)

27,960

26,253

1,707

6.5

/TOTAL EXPORTS