XN000022-1994-04-19 — Page 3

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1994

2

VALUE OF MANUFACTURERS' ORDERS-ON-HAND IN FEBRUARY

THE VALUE OF MANUFACTURERS' ORDERS-ON-HAND FOR LOCAL PRODUCTION IN FEBRUARY 1994 DECREASED BY 8% OVER A YEAR EARLIER, ACCORDING TO THE

(TUESDAY) RESULTS OF A MONTHLY SURVEY RELEASED TODAY PROVISIONAL THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

BY

MANUFACTURERS'

ORDERS-ON-HAND

AND REFER TO ORDERS

PARTS OF PRODUCTION WHICH

ORDERS RECEIVED EARLIER BY MANUFACTURERS FOR LOCAL REMAIN UNFILLED AS AT THE END OF THE REFERENCE MONTH.

ORDERS

RECEIVED BY

SUCH

TRADERS NOT ENGAGED IN PRODUCTION ARE

TO ORDERS ARE FURTHER PLACED

MANUFACTURERS FOR

INCLUDED IF PRODUCTION LOCALLY.

HOWEVER, ORDERS PLACED TO MANUFACTURING FIRMS FOR PRODUCTION IN INCLUDED IN THIS CHINA AND OTHER PLACES OUTSIDE HONG KONG ARE NOT SERIES OF ORDERS-ON-HAND STATISTICS,

1993,

SIGNIFICANT RECORDED IN THE PUBLISHING

COMPARING FEBRUARY 1994 WITH FEBRUARY

THE VALUE OF OUTSTANDING ORDERS WERE INCREASES IN

METAL PRODUCTS (+37%) AND THE PRINTING AND FABRICATED (+19%) INDUSTRIES.

MODERATE INCREASE IN ORDERS WAS RECORDED IN THE ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY (+6%).

OTHER ON THE

HAND, SIGNIFICANT DECREASES

WERE IN ORDERS RECORDED IN THE WEARING APPAREL (-20%) AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS (-19%)

THE INDUSTRIES.

TEXTILES AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES ALSO RECORDED DECREASES IN ORDERS (-13% AND -3% RESPECTIVELY).

COMPARED WITCH JANUARY 1994, AND BEARING IN MIND THAT THIS

MAY BE COMPARISON

AFFECTED BY SEASONAL FACTORS, THE VALUE OF MANUFACTURERS' ORDERS-ON-HAND DECREASED BY 2%.

OF MONTHLY SURVEY OF ORDERS-ON-HAND COVERS A SAMPLE THE 300 MANUFACTURING FIRMS ENGAGING 50 OR MORE WORKERS.

BEGINNING FROM JANUARY 1994, A NEW SERIES OF STATISTICS MANUFACTURERS ' ORDERS-ON-HAND IN VALUE TERMS COMPILED IN THE FORM AN INDEX IS PRODUCED TO REPLACE THE OLD SERIES, WHICH IS EXPRESSED TERMS OF NUMBER OF MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE OUTSTANDING ORDERS.

SOME

ON

OF

IN

THE NEW STATISTICAL SERIES PROVIDES A MORE DIRECT MEASURE OF OVERALL

SECTOR VALUE OF ORDERS IN THE LOCAL MANUFACTURING

THAT LEAD TO THE GENERATION OF LOCAL MANUFACTURING OUTPUT.

THE

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT POINTED OUT THAT CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN INTERPRETING THE MANUFACTURERS' ORDERS-ON-HAND FIGURES IN A SINGLE

MONTH.

INSTEAD,

THE TREND MOVEMENT OF THE SERIES AS DISPLAYED OVER WIDER SPAN OF TIME POINTS SHOULD BE LOOKED AT.

A

/THE SURVEY