XN000022-1991-02-28 — Page 4

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1991

THE INDEX FOR SERVICES INCREASED BY 1.5% IN CPI(A) AND BY 1.1% IN CPI(B) AS A RESULT OF HIGHER CHARGES FOR TELEPHONE SERVICES.

FIGURES HEREIN REFER TO CPI SERIES NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED. ALL PERCENTAGE CHANGES ARE DERIVED FROM CPI FIGURES TAKEN TO MORE THAN ONE DECIMAL PLACE.

MORE DETAILS ARE GIVEN IN THE "CONSUMER PRICE INDEX REPORT" FOR JANUARY 1991, WHICH IS AVAILABLE AT $7 PER COPY FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GPO BUILDING, GROUND FLOOR, CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL; OR FROM THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, 19TH FLOOR, HANCHAI TOWER 1, 12 HARBOUR ROAD, WAN CHAI; OR FROM THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, FRENCH MISSION BUILDING, 1 BATTERY PATH, HONG KONG FOR LOCAL AND OVERSEAS MAILINGS.

FOR ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE INDEXES, PLEASE TELEPHONE THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT AT 805 6403.

THE HANG SENG CPI WAS 159.3 IN JANUARY 1991, UP BY 0.5% OVER DECEMBER 1990 AND BY 11.6% OVER JANUARY 1990.

THE HANG SENG CPI IS BASED ON THE EXPENDITURE PATTERN OP THE 10% OF URBAN HOUSEHOLDS IN HONG KONG THAT SPENT $10,000-24,999 A MONTH DURING THE 1984/85 HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE SURVEY.

FURTHER DETAILS REGARDING THIS INDEX ARE INCLUDED IN THE HANG SRNG CP1 REPORT ISSUED BY THE ECONOMIC RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF HANG SENG BANK LTD.

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY RELEASED

THE VARIOUS TRADE AGGREGATES SHOWED A MARKED INCREASE IN JANUARY 1991 OVER A YEAR EARLIER, ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT,

HOWEVER, THE INCREASE WAS DUE IN PART TO A LOW BASE OF COMPARISON IN JANUARY 1990 AS THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS TOOK PLACE IN THE LATTER PART OF JANUARY LAST YEAR WHILE THIS YEAR THE HOLIDAYS WERE IN MID-FEBRUARY.

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THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS IN JANUARY 1991. AT $19,176 MILLION, WAS $2,538 MILLION OR 15.3% HIGHER THAN IN JANUARY 1990. THE VALUE OF RE-EXPORTS INCREASED BY $11,061 MILLION OR 39.6% TO $39,021 MILLION.

OF

TAKING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS TOGETHER, THE VALUE TOTAL EXPORTS ROSE BY $13,599 MILLION OR 30.5% OVER A YEAR EARLIER, TO $58,197 MILLION IN JANUARY 1991.

/THE VALUE