XN000022-1992-02-01 — Page 4

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1992

3

LOANS FOR USE OUTSIDE HONG KONG GREW BY 5.1% IN DECEMBER, AFTER INCREASES OF 3.8% AND 5.1% IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER RESPECTIVELY. OVER THE YEAR, THESE LOANS GREW BY 46.5%.

LOANS ΤΟ FINANCE TRADE NOT TOUCHING HONG KONG ROSE BY 13.8% DURING DECEMBER, AFTER FALLING BY 2.5% AND 5.9% IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER RESPECTIVELY. OVER THE YEAR, THESE LOANS INCREASED BY 28.5%.

QUARTERLY ANALYSIS OF LOANS AND ADVANCES FOR USE IN HONG KONG BY SECTOR

IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1991, TOTAL LOANS FOR USE IN HONG KONG (EXCLUDING THOSE FOR TRADE FINANCING) INCREASED BY 4.4%.

OF THESE, LOANS FOR USE IN MANUFACTURING FELL BY 0.05%, FOLLOWING AN INCREASE OF 5.8% AND A DECLINE OF 0.6% IN THE SECOND AND THIRD QUARTERS RESPECTIVELY. OVER THE YEAR, THESE LOANS GREW BY 10.6%.

AND

LOANS TO THE BUILDING, CONSTRUCTION AND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT INVESTMENT SECTOR ROSE BY 3.6% IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, FOLLOWING INCREASES OF 6.2% AND 3.7% IN THE PREVIOUS TWO QUARTERS. YEAR-ON- YEAR, THESE LOANS GREW BY 16.3%.

LOANS TO WHOLESALE AND RETAIL TRADE RECORDED A QUARTERLY GROWTH OF 1.6%, COMPARED WITH THE CORRESPONDING GROWTH RATES OF 4.9% AND 2.9% THE PRECEDING TWO QUARTERS. OVER THE YEAR, THESE LOANS INCREASED 7.8%.

IN BY

LOANS TO FINANCIAL CONCERNS (EXCLUDING AUTHORISED INSTITUTIONS) ROSE BY 6.3% THIS QUARTER, AFTER A DECLINE OF 7.6% AND AN INCREASE 3.8% IN THE SECOND AND THIRD QUARTERS RESPECTIVELY, OVER THE YEAR, THESE LOANS INCREASED BY 8.6%.

THE RATE OF INCREASE IN LOANS TO INDIVIDUALS FOR THE PURCHASE OF RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY (OTHER THAN FLATS IN THE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME) SLOWED DOWN TO 5.4% THIS QUARTER, FROM 9.4% AND 9.3% IN THE SECOND AND THIRD QUAR" ERS RESPECTIVELY. FOR THE YEAR AS A WHOLE, THESE LOANS GREW BY 34.9%.

NUMBER OF REPORTING INSTITUTIONS

BANKS

AND DEPOSIT-TAKING

THE NUMBERS OF REPORTING LICENSED COMPANIES DECREASED BY ONE EACH TO 160 AND 157 RESPECTIVELY. NUMBER OF REPORTING RESTRICTED LICENCE BANKS INCREASED BY ONE TO 52.

THE

/TABLE 1