3. THE UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION DETERIORATED SLIGHTLY AN THE THIRD QUARTER BUT THE OVERALL RATE IS STILL BELOW 3.5 PER CENT. ORDERS IN HAND FOR THE ENTIRE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR ARE CURRENTLY EQUIVALENT TO 4.19 MONTHS OF PRODUCTION, A DECLINE OF 3 PER CENT ON THE PREVIOUS QUARTER. THE FASTEST GROWING INDUSTRIES IN 1985 HAVE BEEN CHEMICALS, RUBBER, PLASTICS, PAPER PRODUCTS, PRINTING AND FOOD PROCESSING.
4.
DOMESTIC CONSUMER DEMAND REMAINED SLUGGISH IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. GROWTH RATES OF RETAINED IMPORTS FOR FOODSTUFFS, CONSUMER GOODS AND CAPITAL GOODS WERE LOWER AS THE WEAKER DOMESTIC EXPORT PERFORMANCE HAD A DAMPENING EFFECT ON THE ECONOMY.
5. BRITAIN'S EXPORTS TO HONG KONG IN ELEVEN MONTHS, JANUARY TO NOVEMBER 1985 AT POUNDS EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY EIGHT MILLION HNCREASED BY 9.1 PER CENT. DURING THE SAME PERIOD IMPORTS FROM HONG KONG DECREASED BY 6.7 PER CENT TO POUNDS ONE THOUSAND AND NINETY SIX MILLION. PROSPECTS FOR BRITISH SUPPLIERS REMAIN GOOD:
IN PARTICULAR THERE ARE OPPORTUNIZMES NOW FOR SUPPLIERS OF
INDUSTRIAL PLANT AND EQUIPMENT TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND OF EQUIQMENT AND SERVICES FOR DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
THE MARKET FOR QUALITY CONSUMER GOODS REMAINS BUOYANT.
MACAU
>>
1. THE SLOWING DOWN IN EXPORT GROWTH RATES LARGELY REFLECTS THE SITUATION IN HONG KONG. DOMESTIC EXPORTS DECREASED BY 1 PER CENT
IN REAL TERMS IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1985 COMPARED WITH A GROWTH RATE OF 30 PER CENT LAST YEAR. THE TEXTILE AND GARMENT SECTORS THE PREDOMINANT INDUSTRIES IN MACAU WERE THE MOST AFFECTED. PARTICULARLY HIT WERE SALES TO THE MAJOR MARKETS AS GARMENT AND KNITWEAR EXPORTS TO THE USA DECREASED BY 11.7 PER CENT AND TO THE UK BY 13.2 PER CENT. EXPORTS OF OTHER PRODUCTS RECORDED A SLIGHTY BETTER PERFORMANCE. TOYS ARE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT NON-TEXTILE GROWTH SECTORS AND EXPORTS N THIS SECTOR CONTINUE TO INCREASE. OPPORTUNITIES FOR RAW MATERIALS, SEM FINISHED GOODS AND COMPONENTRY REMAIN REASONABLY GOOD BUT SOURCING TENDS STILL TO BE CHANNELLED VHA AGENTS AND IMPORTERS IN HONG KONG.
HOLLOWAY
incruitment? restockery
MINIMAL
HKD
ECONOMIC ADVISERS
ERD
TRED
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