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Home > Corporate Information > Economic Research > Economic Indicators > April, 1999

April, 1999

BANKING
 

Amount

% change, yoy, unless otherwise stated

 

($bn)

Monthly

Quarterly

Yearly

 

2/99

2/99

1/99

Q4/98

Q3/98

Q2/98

Q1/98

1998

1997

1996

HKD M0 (in HKD) 90.1 7.9 (15.0) 0.7 (2.0) (3.1) (0.2) 0.7 5.3 7.3
HKD M1 (in HKD) 179.1 (2.0) (7.6) (5.2) (17.2) (17.0) (6.5) (5.2) (5.1) 15.5
HKD M2 (in HKD) 1,802.2 8.8 9.8 9.9 3.6 0.4 7.8 9.9 9.9 19.3
HKD M3 (in HKD) 1,813.6 8.4 9.4 9.4 3.2 0.3 7.5 9.4 9.9 18.9
Spread (Prime-Hibor3) (pa) (%) na 2.76 2.96

3.63

0.18

2.32

1.29

1.86

1.71

3.07

Res. mortg. loans outstanding                    
(before adjusted to reclassification) na 8.8 9.2 9.6 9.4 16.9 23.3 9.6 28.3 18.9
(after adjusted to reclassification) 462.7 na na

na

na

na

na

na

na

na

Loans-to-Deposits Ratio (pa) (%)                    
(Total) na 107.2 109.3 114.4 120.4 135.7 144.5 128.8 158.1 164.2
(HKD) na 101.2 101.1 101.2 105.1 112.1 113.2 107.9 110.3 106.0
Foreign Currency Reserves^ (in US$bn) 89.8 89.8 90.1 89.6 88.4 96.5 96.8 89.6 93.2 69.6
                     
Deposits 2,937.8 8.4 10.6 10.9 6.2 1.7 6.8 10.9 8.4 10.2
HKD Deposits @ 1,660.2 8.3 10.8 9.7 2.6 (0.6) 7.3 9.7 9.8 19.5
FC Deposits # 1,277.6 8.6 10.5 12.6 11.3 4.9 6.0 12.6 6.6 (0.4)
                     
Loans & Advances 3,148.3 (21.1) (21.3) (19.8) (21.4) (16.1) (5.5) (19.8) 5.3 4.7
Loans in HKD 1,680.2 (3.0) (3.0) (2.7) (4.8) 3.0 9.5 (2.7) 20.4 16.9
Loans in FC 1,468.1 (34.9) (34.7) (32.3) (33.5) (28.5) (15.6) (32.3) (3.6) (1.4)
Loans for use in HK1 2,073.0 (6.6) (6.3) (5.5) (3.5) 4.1 12.1 (5.5) 22.6 16.0
Loans for use outside HK2 1,075.3 (39.2) (39.1) (36.7) (41.1) (35.8) (23.0) (36.7) (9.8) (3.4)
                     
Loans for use in HK (eop) 2,073.0 (6.6) (6.3) (5.5) (3.5) 4.1 12.1 (5.5) 22.6 15.9
To purchase residential properties na na na 9.1 8.1 16.0 22.5 9.1 28.8 20.9
Property Development & Investment na na na (10.1) 0.7 7.3 18.8 (10.1) 31.6 26.0
Trade Finances1 na na na (22.5) (16.8) (9.7) (1.2) (22.5) 4.3 6.7
Financial Concerns na na na (7.0) (1.8) 8.0 10.9 (7.0) 26.2 16.7
Wholesale & Retail Trade na na na (13.6) (4.8) (2.4) 5.2 (13.6) 15.7 6.3
Manufacturing na na na (15.5) (10.8) (8.0) 3.2 (15.5) 3.8 7.6
Credit Card na na na 13.7 20.7 26.6 31.9 13.7 29.0 17.3
Consumer Finance Ħħ na na na (11.7) (11.3) 1.0 2.7 (11.7) 19.8 13.5
PRIVATE CONSUMPTION
     

% change, yoy, unless otherwise stated

 

Amount

Monthly

Quarterly

Yearly

 

1/99

1/99

12/98

Q4/98

Q3/98

Q2/98

Q1/98

1998

1997

1996

Retail Sales (Value)

$15.7bn

(21.0) (17.0) (18.9) (19.4) (15.5) (13.3) (16.8) 4.9 6.3
  (Volume)

na

(18.8) (14.0) (16.7) (19.7) (16.3) (14.4) (16.8) 1.1 1.6
Restaurant Receipts (Value)

$14.4bn(98Q4)

na

na

(2.0)

(4.4)

(4.0) (5.0) (3.9) 6.0 5.0
  (Volume)

na

na

na

(3.0)

(5.9)

(6.7) (9.0) (6.2) 2.0 2.0
Department Store (Value)

na

(28.7) (14.5) (25.5) (26.6) (26.4) (26.9) (26.5) (3.2) 4.5
  (Volume)

na

(22.5) (5.9) (21.2) (28.5) (28.8) (29.2) (27.0) (9.3) (1.5)
Visitors Arrivals

0.83mn

10.9

11.1

5.5 10.5 (16.9) (24.9) (8.0) (11.1) 14.7
PROPERTY
   

% change, yoy, unless otherwise stated

 

Amount

Monthly

Quarterly

Yearly

 

2/99

2/99

1/99

Q4/98

Q3/98

Q2/98

Q1/98

1998

1997

1996

Sales & purchase agreements                    
Value

$24.1bn (Jan)

na

(21.1)

39.0

(78.2)

(64.8)

(59.0)

(54.3)

83

79

Number

9.4thou. (Jan)

na

(25.9)

18.0

(64.4)

(52.3)

(52.0)

(50.2)

39

51

New res. mortg. approved of 33 AIs                    
Number, during the period

5.3thou.

11.1

44.3

29.9

(55.5)

(60.1)

(53.9)

(34.9)

18.5

68.5

Value per loan, during the period

$1.51mn

(24.1)

(28.6)

(24.1)

(28.6)

(10.5)

15.3

(12.0)

27.2

6.8

Private residential                    
     Rental (official)

na

na

na

(26.8)e

(21.5)

(10.9)

(3.8)

(15.8)e

13.5

(1.7)

     Price (official)

na

na

na

(38.1)e

(38.3)

(25.2)

(10.4)

(28.0)e

40.9

9.6

          HK

$4,151/sf

(27.7)

(24.3)

(37.6)

(42.3)

(26.5)

(11.0)

(29.4)

na

na

          KL

$3,752/sf

(28.6)

(22.9)

(39.6)

(44.8)

(30.3)

(12.8)

(31.9)

na

na

          NT

$3,168/sf

(24.1)

(18.4)

(37.2)

(44.4)

(32.8)

(14.3)

(32.2)

na

na

Rental yield (%) :                    
HK

na 4.26 4.27 4.35 4.43 3.99 3.68 4.1 3.7 na
KL

na

4.50

4.50

4.62

4.78

4.49

4.12

4.5

3.9

na

NT

na

3.75

3.63

3.83

3.90

3.56

3.20

3.6

3.1

na

Residential construction completed (sq.m.), ytd

672thou.
Nov

43.9
Nov

31.5
Oct

na

42.3

(6)

244

na

(7)

(13)

Res.l construction consent to start work (sq.m.), ytd

1,228thou. Nov

(14.0)
Nov

(20.6)
Oct

na

(29.8)

(39)

(26)

na

54

54

MACRO INDICATORS
 

Amount

% change, yoy unless otherwise stated

 

($bn)

Monthly

Quarterly

Yearly

 

2/99

2/99

1/99

Q4/98

Q3/98

Q2/98

Q1/98

1998

1997

1996

GDP

na

na

na

(5.7)

(6.9)

(5.1)

(2.6)

(5.1)

5.3

4.5

Composite CPI

na

(1.7)

(1.1)

(0.7)

2.8

4.4

5.0

2.8

5.8

6.3

Labour                    
Unemployment Rate (%)

na

6.0

5.8

5.5 4.9 4.4 3.5

4.6

2.2

2.8

Unemployed ('000 people)

na

206.0

202.7

194.1

179.4

143.7

106.2

na

71.3

86.1

External Trade                    
Total Exports 79.1 (10.0) (6.6) (13.6) (10.3) (3.1) (1.0) (7.4) 4.2 4.0
     Domestic Exports 10.4 (9.9) (8.9) (19.0) (11.9) (3.6) (7.4) (10.9) (0.4) (8.4)
     Re-exports 68.7 (10.1) (6.3) (12.7) (10.1) (3.0) 0.1 (6.9) 5.0 6.6
Total Imports 80.2 (24.9) (5.0) (18.2) (15.5) (6.0) (5.1) (11.5) 5.2 3.0
Trade Balance (in $bn) (1.1) (1.1) (0.7) (8.1) (6.1) (35.0) (32.6) (81.4) (159.1) (137.8)

^ Foreign Currency Reserves in Land Fund are not included before June 30, 1997.

Consumer finance included individual private and business loans other than property purchases & credit card advance.

1 Loans to finance merchandising trade not touching HK would be included in trade finance & loans for use in HK.

2 Others loans where the place of use is not known would be included in loans for use outside HK.

pa: Period averages @ adjusted to include swap deposits
# adjusted to exclude swap deposits eop: End-of-period
na: Not applicable e: Estimate

This material is prepared by the Economic Research Department. Data on Hong Kong are obtained from the Census and Statistics Department & the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. It is based upon information which we consider reliable. Opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

Chart 1: As the financial market has been stabilized, there is a noticeable shift from USD deposits to HKD deposits.

Chart 2: Residential property prices dropped slightly in February, as market activity is traditionally slower during the Lunar New Year.

Chart 3: In January, retail sales value and volume dropped by 21 percent and 18.8 percent respectively.