News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the usage rate of Information Technology (IT) in the business sector stood at 46.9% in 2011, down by 1.8 percentage points from 2010, caused by a marked decline of 9.0 percentage points in IT usage rate in Industrial Production. Analysed by industry, usage of IT is fully adopted in the Gaming Sector; usage rate in Travel Agencies and Service Sector was 97.3% and 84.1% respectively; however, Restaurant Sector had the lowest usage rate of 29.5%. As regards Internet usage, 84.5% of the establishments or enterprises using IT had Internet connection, and the major purpose included information search (79.6%), purchasing (32.6%) and sales (27.3%). In 2011, there were 146,600 households (84.9% of total) possessing IT devices (desktop computer, portable computer, smart-phone, etc.), up by 1.9 percentage points year-on-year. For the population aged 3 and above, the rate of computer usage (61.8%) and Internet usage (60.2%) increased by 5.5 and 6.4 percentage points respectively year-on-year; those aged 15-24 had the highest rate of computer usage (95.7%) and Internet usage (95.3%). In respect of the location of accessing Internet, 96.1% of those aged 3 and above accessed Internet at home, and 30.0% at workplace; major purpose of accessing Internet included information search and online services (89.8%), communication (85.7%) and web entertainment (76.0%). Survey coverage of usage of IT in the business sector includes Industrial Production; Construction; Wholesale & Retail Trade; Travel Agencies; Hotels; Restaurants; Gaming; Transport, Storage & Communications, as well as Service Sector (Real Estate Management; Security Services; Cleaning Services; Advertising and Conference/Exhibition Organising Services). In addition, usage of IT in households includes individuals aged 3 and above.
…

Consumer Council released its latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' dated 19th November. A total of 350 products were surveyed this time and in comparison with last month's records, about 62 percent of the surveyed products, mainly rice, canned foods, snacks, and butter recorded no change in price. A total of 350 items were surveyed in the Council's latest 'Supermarket Price Survey'. In comparison with last month's figures, 111 products recorded no change in price and they included mainly rice, canned foods, beverages and snacks, prices of 106 products had decreased, mainly dairy products, frozen food, and shower gel. Many surveyed canned food items recorded price decrease of 1 to 1.8 percent while prices of half of the surveyed dairy products had decreased by up to 3.4 percent. Total number of products which recorded no change in price or price decreases amounted to about 62 percent of the total number of items surveyed. Cooking oil, household cleansing products, and sanitary & hygienic products recorded minimal price increases. Survey result showed that among the various supermarket chain stores surveyed by the Council, selling prices of over 100 products were found to vary in different branches. Price differences of 2 to 33 percent were observed in most canned food items in which 'Heaven Temple Brand Chopped Pork and Ham/340g' recorded the greatest price discrepancy. Prices of around 20 products were also found to differ in different branches of both Royal Supermarket and Park'n Shop. Consumers are advised to check with the information available on the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform', especially the function of 'Top Ten Price Differences' for the surveyed products and in the platform iPhone and Android apps. The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo), and the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM's Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
…

According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) and commercial real estate loans (CRELs) witnessed varied degrees of increase in September 2012. With regard to outstanding balance, both RMLs and CRELs continued to grow. New Lending Approved In September 2012, new RMLs approved by Macao banks rose 5.7% month-to-month to MOP4.7 billion; of which, 88.9% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents and non-residents increased 6.4% and 0.1% respectively. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) dropped 70.3% month-to-month to MOP70.6 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 89.8% of the total, dropped 70.8% while the amount to non-residents also went down by 64.6%. New CRELs expanded 78.1% month-to-month to MOP3.1 billion; of which, 96.6% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents and non-residents advanced 77.0% and 115.0% compared with the previous month. Outstanding Balances As at end-September 2012, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP91.6 billion, an increase of 3.3% from one month earlier. The resident component made up 92.3% of the total. Outstanding RMLs to residents and non-residents grew by 3.2% and 4.8% respectively. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs edged up 1.2% from end-August to MOP65.5 billion. Residents accounted for 91.1% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents grew by 1.9% whereas those to non-residents slid 5.9%. Delinquency Ratios At the end of September 2012, the delinquency ratios for RMLs and CRELs remained unchanged from end-August at 0.06% and 0.09% respectively. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department Monetary Authority of Macao
(Tel：83952532; Fax：28353042)
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (117.94) for October 2012 increased by 5.19% year-on-year, attributable to rising charges for meals bought away from home. For the 12 months ended October 2012, the average Composite CPI increased by 6.26% from the preceding period; the average CPI-A and CPI-B also rose by 6.46% and 6.47% respectively. In comparison with October 2011, price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+33.73%); Household Goods & Furnishings (+7.68%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+7.08%) marked notable increase on account of higher charges for domestic services and meals bought away from home. However, price index of Education and Communication decreased by 3.07% and 0.44% respectively year-on-year. The CPI-A (117.47) and CPI-B (118.53) increased by 5.53% and 5.39% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI increased by 0.10% month-to-month, of which new arrival of Winter clothing, higher charges for meals bought away from home and dearer prices of fresh fish and fruits drove up the price index of Clothing & Footwear; and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages by 2.87% and 0.46%. On the contrary, price index of Housing & Fuels; Transport; and Recreation & Culture decreased by 1.00%, 0.70% and 0.45% on account of a raise in Government subsidy on electricity, lower airfare and gasoline prices, as well as reduced charges for package tours. The CPI-A and the CPI-B increased by 0.01% and 0.14% respectively month-on-month. The average Composite CPI for the first ten months of 2012 increased by 6.18% year-on-year, of which price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+30.85%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+8.81%) saw notable increase, while that of Communication decreased by 4.76%. The CPI-A and CPI-B for the first ten months of 2012 rose by 6.42% and 6.40% respectively. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
…

Consumer Council released its latest specific price survey on biscuits. Survey result showed that prices of biscuits were stable and the highest price difference recorded for the same product sold at different retail spots was 33.33 percent. Consumer Council collected 8 brands of biscuits from 20 local retail outlets on 15th November. A general price difference of 10 to 20 percent was recorded for the same brand of biscuit sold at various outlets. 'Garden Cream Wafers/200g', which was sold at $7.2 to $9.6, recorded the highest price difference of 33.33 percent. In comparison with September's data, prices of most surveyed brands remained stable, 4 out of the total surveyed brands recorded no change in price. 'OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies/9x29.4g' recorded price decreases of about 3.4 percent to 15.8 percent in 5 retail spots. The specific price survey on biscuits is now available on Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
…

Members of the 'Consumer organizations city alliance', which include 22 consumer organizations in China, released a list of reports and surveys on the 2012 annual meeting in Nanjing earlier. Released reports include 'Attention to emergency call function in mobile phones in the Mainland', 'Replacing home use water heater magnesium anodes', and 'Quality and guarantee period of residential homes', etc. Members are called on to distribute press releases in regard to the mentioned reports to promote awareness of consumers. Members of the alliance state that emergency call function is not available in some of the foreign mobile phone brands in China and these foreign brands only allow users to call 911, 112, or other emergency numbers that are widely used in other countries. For mobile phones manufactured in China, users are normally connected to voicemail services even though emergency call function is enabled. Members of the alliance indicate that, according to the consumer protection regulations in the Mainland, mobile phone manufacturers are called on to secure the installation of emergency call function in mobile phones and ensure this function can be operated regularly. Foreign phone brand manufacturers should abide by the laws in China and respect the habit of consumers in China to use emergency numbers known in the region. Meanwhile, consumers are recommended to check whether this function is workable or not when purchasing mobile phones. Further, to prevent accidents arise from using water heater at home, consumer organizations remind consumers about the importance of replacing magnesium anodes in water heater to ensure consumers' safety. For the survey targeted at checking the quality of residential homes in the Mainland, result shows that water leaks appear in surfaces and walls of over 70 percent of both public and private constructions. Members of the alliance state that:
1. Constructors are responsible to keep consumers informed of the current guarantee regulations and period of residential homes;
2. Constructors should strictly abide by the regulations set up by related departments in regard to the guarantee period of residential homes, the contract of sales, and the agreement in the property management contract. Constructors should bear all responsible responsibilities and safeguard the legal rights of consumers;
3. Enforced monitoring should be carried out by the related departments in China to safeguard the legal rights of consumers.
…

In accordance with the objectives of the Committee for the Development of Conventions and Exhibitions to promote the image of Macao MICE industry and provide related information services more efficiently, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) is responsible for following up on the setting up of the Macao MICE Portal. In the afternoon of 20 November, the Macao MICE Portal (www.mice.gov.mo) will be officially launched at Macao Business Support Centre. Officiating guests include Mr. Tam Pak Yuen, Secretary for Economy and Finance and President of the Committee for the Development of Conventions and Exhibitions, Mr. Sou Tim Peng, Director of Macao Economic Services and Secretary-General of the Committee for the Development of Conventions and Exhibitions, Mr. Jackson Chang, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Convenor of the Working Group on the Development of External Co-operation of the Committee for the Development of Conventions and Exhibitions, Mr. U Kin Cho, Vice President of the Board of Directors of Macao Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Li Zhizhong, Chairperson of Macao Convention and Exhibition Association, Mr. Tony Lam, President of Macao Fair and Trade Association and Mr. Edmund Wong, Chairman of Association of Advertising Agents of Macau. Around 60 representatives from local industrial and business associations as well as the convention and exhibition industry will also attend the ceremony. It is hoped that the launch of the MICE portal will further promote the strengths of Macao's convention and exhibition industry, activities and facilities to local and overseas event organisers, industrial and business entrepreneur and business visitors. It also aims to provide greater facilitation in the search for related MICE information. Co-operation entities of the Macao MICE Portal include Macao Convention and Exhibition Association, Macao Fair and Trade Association and the Association of Advertising Agents of Macau. Currently, the Macao MICE Portal comprises of various columns including Event Promotion, Incentive Measures, Industry Information and MICE Guide. Contents will be constantly updated and enhanced in accordance with the market demands and development.
…

Under the provisions of Administrative Regulation nº 30/2011 and amended by Administrative Regulation nº 5/2012, the Macau Branch of Bank of China Limited and the Banco Nacional Ultramarino S.A. are authorized to issue additional Dragon Lunar Year Banknotes (Dragon notes). The procedure for the subsequent exchange of the banknotes commences with the online registration for selecting the date and bank for the conduct of the exchange. The online registration period has already ended at 6pm on 31 October. Arrangements for the Note Exchange process
Starting from 3 December 2012 till 31 January 2013, registered Macao residents can proceed to exchange for the Dragon notes in persons on the selected day and at the chosen bank during the bank's business hours. Each registered resident should bring along their ID card and the required cash to exchange for 15 Dragon notes issued by each Issuing Bank. The Dragon notes will be exchanged on random basis such that the serial number of the exchanged banknotes cannot be selected. To conduct inquiry of their registration details, registered residents can log onto the system of the Macau Branch of Bank of China Limited and that of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino S.A. via the webpage of the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) (www.amcm.gov.mo). Appointment of representative to conduct the Note Exchange
If the registered residents cannot conduct the note exchange in persons during the exchange period, they can use the following two methods to appoint representatives to conduct note exchange on their behalf: 1. The appointed representative should present the original and signed copy of his/her ID card and those of the registered citizen that he/she represents to conduct the note exchange process; or 2. The registered resident fills in the representation authorization form that can be downloaded from the website of AMCM and has his / her signature verified by a private or public notary. Then the appointed representative will only need to present the duly filled and verified representation authorization form along with his / her own ID card to the bank when conducting the note exchange. Moreover, if the appointed representative needs to conduct the note exchange for the Dragon notes issued by the two Issuing Banks, then the representative should bring along two sets of the representation authorization forms.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that value of retail sales for the third quarter of 2012 totalled MOP 12.45 billion, up by 13% year-on-year. Retail sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery amounted to MOP 3.55 billion (28% of total), which was followed by retail sales of Goods in Department Stores (15%), Leather Goods (11%), Adults' Clothing (9%), Motor Vehicles (7%) and Goods in Supermarkets (7%). Value of retail sales for the third quarter of 2012 decreased by 3% compared with the revised figure (MOP 12.82 billion) of the second quarter, with marked decrease being observed in sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (-14%) and Motor Vehicles (-12%); however, retail sales of Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles and Goods in Pharmacies increased by 16% and 13% respectively. In the first three quarters of 2012, value of retail sales totalled MOP 38.49 billion, an increase of 24% compared with MOP 30.95 billion from a year earlier. After removing the effect of price changes, volume of retail sales for the third quarter increased by 9% year-on-year, with notable increase in sales of Goods in Pharmacies (+18%), Goods in Supermarkets (+18%), Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (+12%) and Automotive Fuels (+12%). Volume of retail sales decreased by 1% quarter-to-quarter, of which sales of Watches, Clocks & Jewellery (-13%) and Motor Vehicles (-12%) saw significant decline; on the contrary, sales of Cosmetics & Sanitary Articles and Goods in Pharmacies increased by 14% and 12% respectively. In respect of the comments of the retailers, about 70% stated that sales volume in the third quarter increased or held stable over the previous quarter, up by 5 percentage points compared with those holding the same sentiment in the second quarter, while 30% reported decrease in sales volume. In terms of the retail prices, about 62% reported stable prices, 23% stated an increase and 15% stated a decrease. In comparison with the same quarter of 2011, about 76% expressed that the stock level was normal in the third quarter, while 11% indicated that the stock level was low. As regards business outlook for the fourth quarter, about 82% anticipate that sales volume will increase or remain stable from the second quarter, while 18% expect a decrease. Concurrently, about 69% predict stable retail prices, 26% expect an increase, while 5% predict a decrease in retail prices.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total spending of visitors (excluding gaming expenses) amounted to MOP13.3 billion in the third quarter of 2012, up by 10% in comparison with MOP12.1 billion in the third quarter of 2011. Spending of overnight visitors totalled MOP11.3 billion and that of same-day visitors was MOP2.0 billion. In the third quarter of 2012, per-capita spending of visitors was MOP1,822, an increase of 12% from a year earlier. Per-capita spending of visitors from Mainland China was MOP2,302, with that of IVS visitors at MOP2,514; while spending of visitors from Singapore and Japan stood at MOP1,673 and MOP1,550 respectively. As regards per-capita spending of long-haul visitors, those from Australia, the US and the UK spent MOP1,167, MOP1,056 and MOP961 respectively. Per-capita non-shopping spending of visitors rose by 16% year-on-year to MOP952, of which expenses on Accommodation and Food & Beverage accounted for 48% and 37% respectively. Japanese visitors and Singaporean visitors had a relatively high per-capita non-shopping spending of MOP1,381 and MOP1,247 respectively. Per-capita shopping spending of visitors amounted to MOP869, went up by 7% year-on-year. Shopping items included Local Food Products (23%), Jewellery & Watches (19%), and Shoes, Handbags & Wallets (17%). Visitors from Mainland China had per-capita shopping spending of MOP1,304, with IVS visitors reaching MOP1,615. In addition, per-capita spending of overnight visitors increased by 13% year-on-year to MOP3,081, while that of same-day visitors decreased by 15% to MOP549. Per-capita spending of overnight and same-day Mainland visitors accounted for MOP3,974 and MOP666 respectively, and the respective spending of IVS visitors reached MOP4,411 and MOP1,003.
…