HK's total deposits in November up 0.8%

Hong Kong's total deposits with authorized institutions increased 0.8 percent in November from the previous month, reflecting increases in savings and time deposits, the city's Monetary Authority said Monday. In the latest statistics, overall foreign-currency deposits grew 0.4 percent during the month, and renminbi deposits in Hong Kong increased 2.9 percent to 571 billion RMB. Hong Kong-dollar deposits also expanded 1.2 percent. The total renminbi remittance for cross-border trade settlement amounted to 243 billion RMB, compared with 195.4 billion RMB in the previous month. According to the figures, total loans and advances rose 0.9 percent in November. As Hong Kong-dollar loans increased at a faster rate than deposits, the Hong Kong-dollar loan-to-deposit ratio edged up to 80.7 percent at the end of November from 80.4 percent a month earlier. Seasonally adjusted Hong Kong-dollar M1 rose 2.9 percent in November, and expanded 15.4 percent year-on-year. Unadjusted Hong Kong-dollar M3 increased 1.3 percent during the month and expanded 10.9 percent from a year earlier.