XN000022-1990-05-04 — Page 2

FRIDAY, MAY 4, 1990

1

MONETARY STATISTICS FOR MARCH PUBLISHED

BOTH HONG

KONG DOLLAR AND FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS WITH AUTHORISED INSTITUTIONS INCREASED IN MARCH COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY, ACCORDING TO STATISTICS PUBLISHED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE MONETARY AFFAIRS BRANCH.

IN LINE WITH THE RISE IN HONG KONG DOLLAR DEPOSITS. THE BROADER DEFINITIONS OF HONG KONG DOLLAR MONEY SUPPLY RECORDED SOMB THREASES DURING MARCH.

TOTAL LOANS AND ADVANCES, ON THE OTHER HAND, SHOWED A SLIGHT DECLINE DURING THE MONTH.

TABLE 1 ATTACHED SETS OUT SUMMARY FIGURES FOR MARCH 1990 AND COMPARISONS WITH EARLIER MONTHS. TABLE 2 PRESENTS FIGURES FROM THE QUARTERLY ANALYSIS OF LOANS AND ADVANCES FOR USE IN HONG KONG BY SECTOR.

DEPOSITS

HONG KONG DOLLAR DEPOSITS WITH AUTHORISED INSTITUTIONS, ADJUSTED TO INCLUDE SWAP DEPOSITS, INCREASED BY 0.6 PER CENT IN MARCH, FOLLOWING INCREASES OF 0.3 PER CENT AND 0.6 PER CENT IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY RESPECTIVELY.

OF THESE DEPOSITS, HONG KONG DOLLAR DEMAND AND SAVINGS DEPOSITS DECLINED BY 2.6 PER CENT AND 2.2 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY DURING MARCH, WHILE TIME DEPOSITS ROSE BY 2.4 PER CENT.

ON A YEAR-ON-YEAR COMPARISON, TOTAL HONG KONG DOLLAR DEPOSITS GREW BY 11.7 PER CENT IN MARCH. THIS WAS LOWER THAN THE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF 15.5 PER CENT IN 1989 AND REFLECTED SOME FURTHER SLOWDOWN THE GROWTH OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE EARLY PART OF THIS YEAR.

IN

FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS WITH AUTHORISED INSTITUTIONS, ADJUSTED TO EXCLUDE SWAP DEPOSITS, ROSE BY 0.9 PER CENT IN MARCH, AFTER INCREASES OF 3.9 PER CENT AND 2.7 PER CENT IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY RESPECTIVELY.

AMONG THESE DEPOSITS, U.S. DOLLAR DEPOSITS AND NON-U.S. DOLLAR DEPOSITS GREW BY 0.3 PER CENT AND 1.5 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY.

OVER THE YEAR, TOTAL FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSITS INCREASED BY 24.9 PER CENT.

DEPOSITS OF ALL CURRENCIES WITH LICENSED BANKS AND RESTRICTED LICENCE BANKS ROSE BY 0.4 PER CENT AND 10.1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY IN MARCH AND BY 19.7 PER CENT AND 41.1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OVER THE YEAR.

DEPOSITS WITH DEPOSIT-TAKING COMPANIES INCREASED BY 0.8 PER CENT IN MARCH BUT FELL BY 16.1 PER CENT OVER THE YEAR.

/THE YEAR-ON-YEAR

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