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

May, 1999

BANKING

Amount

% change, yoy, unless otherwise stated

($bn)

Monthly

Quarterly

Yearly

3/99

3/99

2/99

Q1/99

Q4/98

Q3/98

Q2/98

1998

1997

1996

HKD M0 (in HKD) 85.5 5.3 7.9 5.3 0.7 (2.0) (3.1) 0.7 5.3 7.3
HKD M1 (in HKD) 181.8 (2.0) (2.0) (2.0) (5.2) (17.2) (17.0) (5.2) (5.1) 15.5
HKD M2 (in HKD) 1,821.8 8.5 8.8 8.5 9.9 3.6 0.4 9.9 9.9 19.3
HKD M3 (in HKD) 1,833.2 8.2 8.4 8.2 9.4 3.2 0.3 9.4 9.9 18.9
Spread (Prime-Hibor3) (pa) (%) na 3.2 2.76 2.97 3.63 0.18 2.32 1.86 1.71 3.07
Res. mortg. loans outstanding
(before adjusted to reclassification) na 7.9 8.8 7.9 9.6 9.4 16.9 9.6 28.3 18.9
(after adjusted to reclassification) 465.2 na na na na na na na na na
Loans-to-Deposits Ratio (pa) (%)
(Total) na 103.2 107.2 106.6 114.4 120.4 135.7 128.8 158.1 164.2
(HKD) na 99.2 101.2 100.5 101.2 105.1 112.1 107.9 110.3 106.0
Foreign Currency Reserves^ (in US$bn) 89.5 89.5 89.8 89.5 89.6 88.4 96.5 89.6 93.2 69.6
Deposits 2,952.7 8.8 8.4 8.8 10.9 6.2 1.7 10.9 8.4 10.2
HKD Deposits @ 1,683.5 8.1 8.3 8.1 9.7 2.6 (0.6) 9.7 9.8 19.5
FC Deposits # 1,269.2 9.7 8.6 9.7 12.6 11.3 4.9 12.6 6.6 (0.4)
Loans & Advances 3,047.5 (18.1) (21.1) (18.1) (19.8) (21.4) (16.1) (19.8) 5.3 4.7
Loans in HKD 1,670.7 (3.6) (3.0) (3.6) (2.7) (4.8) 3.0 (2.7) 20.4 16.9
Loans in FC 1,376.8 (30.7) (34.9) (30.7) (32.3) (33.5) (28.5) (32.3) (3.6) (1.4)
Loans for use in HK1 2,051.4 (6.9) (6.6) (6.9) (5.5) (3.5) 4.1 (5.5) 22.6 16.0
Loans for use outside HK2 996.1 (34.3) (39.2) (34.3) (36.7) (41.1) (35.8) (36.7) (9.8) (3.4)
Loans for use in HK (eop) 2,051.4 (6.9) (6.6) (6.9) (5.5) (3.5) 4.1 (5.5) 22.6 15.9
To purchase residential properties 595.1 8.1 na 8.1 9.1 8.1 16.0 9.1 28.8 20.9
Property Development & Investment 409.3 (6.5) na (6.5) (10.1) 0.7 7.3 (10.1) 31.6 26.0
Trade Finances1 137.3 (24.6) na (24.6) (22.5) (16.8) (9.7) (22.5) 4.3 6.7
Financial Concerns 215.1 (20.0) na (20.0) (7.0) (1.8) 8.0 (7.0) 26.2 16.7
Wholesale & Retail Trade 170.6 (14.2) na (14.2) (13.6) (4.8) (2.4) (13.6) 15.7 6.3
Manufacturing 91.6 (15.0) na (15.0) (15.5) (10.8) (8.0) (15.5) 3.8 7.6
Credit Card 33.8 11.9 na 11.9 13.7 20.7 26.6 13.7 29.0 17.3
Consumer Finance Ħħ 105.4 (13.9) na (13.9) (11.7) (11.3) 1.0 (11.7) 19.8 13.5
PRIVATE CONSUMPTION

% 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

Retail Sales (Value) $14.1bn (3.9) (21.0) (18.9) (19.4) (15.5) (13.3) (16.8) 4.9 6.3
(Volume) na 0.1 (18.8) (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 (3.4) (28.7) (25.5) (26.6) (26.4) (26.9) (26.5) (3.2) 4.5
(Volume) na 6.9 (22.5) (21.2) (28.5) (28.8) (29.2) (27.0) (9.3) (1.5)
Visitors Arrivals 0.78mn 10.1 10.9 5.5 10.5 (16.9) (24.9) (8.0) (11.1) 14.7
PROPERTY
% change, yoy, unless otherwise stated
Amount Monthly Quarterly Yearly
3/99 3/99 2/99 Q1/99 Q4/98 Q3/98 Q2/98 1998 1997 1996
Sales & purchase agreements
Value
$19.5bn
(50.5)
16.0
(18.4)
39.0
(78.2)
(64.8)
(54.3)
83
79
Number
8.4thou.
(21.3)
79.9
10.9
18.0
(64.4)
(52.3)
(50.2)
39
51
New res. mortg. approved of 33 AIs
Number, during the period
8.4thou.
23.5
11.1
na
29.9
(55.5)
(60.1)
(34.9)
18.5
68.5
Value per loan, during the period
$1.48mn
(30.8)
(24.1)
na
(24.1)
(28.6)
(10.5)
(12.0)
27.2
6.8
Private residential
     Rental (official)

na

na
na
na
(10.4)
(21.5)
(10.9)
(16.5)
13.5
(1.7)
     Price (official)
na
na
na
na
(40.0)
(38.3)
(25.2)
(52.9)
40.9
9.6
          HK
$4,258/sf
(24.6)
(27.7)
(25.5)
(37.6)
(42.3)
(26.5)
(29.4)
na
na
          KL
$3,823/sf
(24.5)
(28.6)
(25.3)
(39.6)
(44.8)
(30.3)
(31.9)
na
na
          NT
$3,179/sf
(22.0)
(24.1)
(21.5)
(37.2)
(44.4)
(32.8)
(32.2)
na
na
Rental yield (%) :
HK
na
4.18
4.26
4.23
4.35
4.43
3.99
4.1
3.7
na
KL
na
4.47
4.50
4.49
4.62
4.78
4.49
4.5
3.9
na
NT
na
3.76
3.75
3.71
3.83
3.90
3.56
3.6
3.1
na
Residential construction completed (sq.m.), ytd
872thou.
Dec
22.9
Dec
43.9
Nov
na
1.1
42.3
(6)
22.9
(7)
(13)
Res.l construction consent to start work (sq.m.), ytd
1,472thou. Dec
(9.7)
Dec
(14.0)
Nov
na
57.8
(29.8)
(39)
(9.7)
54
54
MACRO INDICATORS

Amount

% change, yoy unless otherwise stated

($bn)

Monthly

Quarterly

Yearly

3/99

3/99

2/99

Q1/99

Q4/98

Q3/98

Q2/98

1998

1997

1996

GDP na na na na (5.7) (6.9) (5.1) (5.1) 5.3 4.5
Composite CPI na (2.6) (1.7) (1.8) (0.7) 2.8 4.4 2.8 5.8 6.3
Labour
Unemployment Rate (%) na 66.2 6.0 6.0 5.5 4.9 4.4 4.7 2.2 2.8
Unemployed ('000 people) na 214.0 206.8 207.8 194.1 179.4 143.7 157.6 71.3 86.1
External Trade
Total Exports 97.1 (10.6) (10.0) (9.0) (13.6) (10.3) (3.1) (7.4) 4.2 4.0
     Domestic Exports 11.9 (17.5) (9.9) (12.2) (19.0) (11.9) (3.6) (10.9) (0.4) (8.4)
     Re-exports 85.1 (9.5) (10.1) (8.5) (12.7) (10.1) (3.0) (6.9) 5.0 6.6
Total Imports 108.3 (12.4) (24.9) (13.8) (18.2) (15.5) (6.0) (11.5) 5.2 3.0
Trade Balance (in $bn) (11.2) (11.2) (1.1) (12.9) (8.1) (6.1) (35.0) (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: Growth of property purchases stabilised at about 10% level in the first quarter of 1999.

Chart 2: Contraction of trade finance and loans to wholesale & retail trade continued in the first quarter of 1999.

Chart 3: Compared to the peak in 1997, property prices and rental are still 40% and 25% lower respectively.