XN000022-1993-02-12 — Page 8

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1993

QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY

RESULTS FOR FOURTH QUARTER 1992

MANUFACTURERS GENERALLY REPORTED THAT THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION AND CAPACITY UTILISATION IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF LAST YEAR WAS LARGELY THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS QUARTER.

LOOKING AHEAD, MANUFACTURERS EXPROT A DETERIORATION IN BOTH

ASPECTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR.

THIS [S,

HOWEVER, LARGELY SEASONAL AS THE FIRST QUARTER IS USUALLY A QUIET SEASON FOR MANUFACTURING ACTIVITIES OWING TO THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR RFSULTS OF THE QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY} BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

LOCAL PRICE COMPETITION REMAINED THE MOST MANUFACTURERS AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORRY THEM QUARTER.

CITED PROBLEM BY IN THE FOLLOWING

BUT THE PROBLEMS OF HIGH WAGE RATES AND MATERIAL PRICES HAD SHOWN SIGNS OF ALLEVIATION AND ARE EXPECTED TO EASE FURTHER IN THE FOLLOWING QUARTER.

FOR INDIVIDUAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, THE WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRY EXPERIENCED FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN ROTH THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION AND CAPACITY UTILISATION DURING THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 1992. THIS WAS DUE TO INCREASED ORDERS RELATED TO CHRISTMAS SALES.

QUARTER.

ALSO THE PRESSURE OF HIGH WAGE RATES KASED A LITTLE IN THE

LOOKING AHEAD, MANUFACTURERS GENERALLY EXPECT 1 SEASONAL DETERIORATION IN BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE FOLLOWING QUARTER.

1

IN

MANUFACTURERS FROM THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY GENERALLY EXPERIENCED A DETERIORATED GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION AND CAPVITY UTILISATION THE FOURTH QUARTER. TROUBLED BY INSUFFI [ENT BUSINESS ORDERS, WERE ALSO FACED WITH INCREASINGLY KEEN PRICE COMPETITION.

THEY

GENERAL

THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY EXPERIENCED BROADLY THE SAME BUSINESS SITUATION AS IN THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, WAILE THE CAPACITY UTILISATION IMPROVED SLIGHTLY.

AS REGARDS BUSINESS PROBLEMS, HIGH WAGE RATES AND PREMISE RENTALS SHOWED SIGNS OF ALLEVIATION IN THE QUARTER.

AND

MANUFACTURERS FROM THE FOOD, BEVERAGE

TOBACCO INDUSTRY REPORTED THAT THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE QUARTER MANAGED TO REMAIN THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, NOTWITHSTANDING THE FACT THAT BUSINESS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER IS USUALLY LESS ACTIVE FOR THE INDUSTRY.

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