News

Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on instant noodles on 22nd August for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 228 MICE events were held in the second quarter of 2013, down by 6 year-on-year. The average duration stood at 2.0 days, bringing a total of 219,000 participants and attendees, and the floor area used totalled 113,000 m2. There were 220 meetings and conferences held in the second quarter of 2013, drawing 24,000 participants. Concurrently, 8 exhibitions were organized, and the total floor area used was 32,000 m2. Number of exhibition attendees surged by 72% year-on-year to 194,000, of which 4 exhibitions attracted more than 145,000 attendees. In accordance with the information collected from 8 exhibition organizers, 5 exhibitions were repeated events, engaging 99 full-time workers. Besides, there were 522 exhibitors participated in these exhibitions and the majority came from Hong Kong (36%) and Macao (34%). Professional visitors totalled 12,418, with 60% from Macao. Revenue of the exhibition organizers increased by 56% year-on-year at MOP33.80 million, of which Rental of Exhibition Booth accounted for 75%. Expenditure amounted to MOP28.18 million, and the expenses were mainly on Publicity & Public Relation (24%), and Production, Construction & Decoration Services (21%). In addition, information from 70 exhibitors indicated that Sales of Products took up 80% of the revenue while Rental of Exhibition Booth shared 59% of the expenditure. There were 458 MICE events held in the first half year of 2013, down by 47 year-on-year. Total number of participants and attendees increased by 45% to 422,000. A total of 21 exhibitions attracted 369,000 attendees in the first half year of 2013, up by 5% and 68% respectively.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new SME lending approved by Macao banks continued to grow in the first half of 2013. Concurrently, the utilisation of SME credit in proportion to the credit limit approved by banks dropped marginally. New Lending Approved In the first half of 2013, new SME credit limit approved by Macao banks totalled MOP12.6 billion, up by 3.6% from the second half year of 2012 or 89.3% from the same period of 2012. The collateralised ratio, which indicates the proportion of credit limit with tangible assets pledged, was 75.2%, up 10.4 percentage points when compared with the last survey period or 12.0 percentage points when compared with the same period of 2012. Credit Utilisation As at end-June 2013, the outstanding value of total SME loans increased 3.6% from end-2012 or 6.9% from a year earlier to MOP33.0 billion. When compared with end-2012, SME loans to "non-monetary financial institutions", "wholesale and retail trade" and "information technology" increased at respective rates of 42.7%, 24.3% and 21.2%, whereas those to "restaurants, hotels and similar activities" and "transport, warehouse and communications" dropped 32.3% and 5.0% respectively. The utilisation rate, defined as the proportion of outstanding credit balance to the credit limit granted, dropped 0.8 percentage points from six months ago to 56.7%. Delinquent Loans At the end of June 2013, the outstanding balance of delinquent SME loans decreased by 45.1% from six months ago to MOP165.2 million. Compared to a year ago, the balance dropped 61.4%. The delinquency ratio, a ratio of delinquent loans outstanding balance to total SME loans outstanding, dropped 0.44 percentage points from end-2012 or 0.89 percentage points from a year earlier to 0.50%. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao
(Tel：83952532; Fax：28353042)
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals increased by 4.9% year-on-year to 2,565,170 in July 2013; same-day visitors accounted for 50.2% of the total, at 1,287,741. In July 2013, visitors from Mainland China increased by 14.0% year-on-year to 1,660,096, coming primarily from Guangdong Province (738,106) and Fujian Province (74,292); Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme was 730,405. Moreover, visitors from the Republic of Korea (38,416) and the Philippines (18,859) increased by 6.6% and 0.9% respectively, while those from Hong Kong (598,200); Taiwan, China (91,226); and Japan (20,593) decreased by 6.5%, 18.7% and 41.4%. Long-haul visitors from the UK (4,744) and France (3,268) increased by 13.0% and 5.0% year-on-year, whereas those from the US (14,947), Australia (7,920) and Canada (5,655) decreased by 8.3%, 1.8% and 12.5% respectively. The average length of stay of visitors held stable from a year earlier, at 1.0 day in July 2013; overnight and same-day visitors stayed an average of 1.9 days and 0.2 day respectively. Visitor arrivals totalled 16,707,410 from January to July 2013, an increase of 4.3% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China and the Republic of Korea increased by 10.4% and 5.5%, while those from Hong Kong and Taiwan, China decreased by 3.8% and 10.5%. Long-haul visitors from the US (102,623), Australia (62,033) and Canada (41,497) saw year-on-year decline, on the contrary, those from the UK (33,579), France (23,553) and the Russian Federation (17,972) registered year-on-year increase.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (CAB), in cooperation with the Macao Architects Association, organises the Macao Pavilion at the 2013 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen), and is not inviting applications for the Pavilion until August 30. Macao was for the first time invited to participate in this event. The CAB hopes this participation can successfully promote the cultural exchange between Macao and third countries, contribute to better knowledge of the national and international cultural tendencies in urbanism and architecture and attract the population's interest in architecture, urban planning, art and design. The theme "Urban Border" stems from urban areas' characteristic multiplicity of values, and is centred in the often ignored and hidden tendency for diversity, differentiation and individuality that is revealed beyond the mainstream and homogeneity during the urbanization process. The Shenzhen exhibition will be curated by Ole Bouman's team in cooperation with Li Xiangning and Jeffrey Johnson's team. The exhibition project will be supervised by the Organising Committee of the Macao Exhibition – 2013 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, and the selection of applications will be carried out by the Jury Commission for the Macao Pavilion Exhibition Plans – 2013 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. The application form and regulation are available for download at the CAB's website, at www.icm.gov.mo.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) releases today the preliminary balance of payments (BOP) of Macao SAR for the reference year 2012. The BOP is a statistical statement that summarises external transactions of an economy with the rest of the world. In 2012, Macao recorded an overall BOP surplus of MOP30.1 billion. Among the major components, the current account registered a surplus of MOP152.0 billion. The financial non-reserve assets showed a net increase of MOP106.8 billion. Due to strong domestic demand and visitor spending, merchandise imports, valued at f.o.b., surged by 14.0% in 2012. After showing an increase of 7.0% in 2011, merchandise exports soared by 24.1%. Although exports of goods rose faster than imports of goods, the merchandise trade deficit enlarged from MOP62.4 billion in 2011 to MOP70.3 billion in 2012, given the much larger size of merchandise imports over exports. On the other hand, strong exports of travel services drove the surplus in the services account up from MOP235.2 billion to MOP275.3 billion. The primary income account, which reflects cross-border flows of factor income, recorded a net outflow of MOP44.0 billion in 2012, as compared to the net outflow of MOP39.8 billion in the previous year. The significant increase stemmed mainly from the increase in income earned by foreign direct investors in Macao. The secondary income account, which comprises mainly inflows and outflows of personal transfers as well as donations received/made by local social service organisations with respect to the rest of the world, recorded a net outflow of MOP9.1 billion, representing an increase of MOP4.6 billion from 2011. As the large invisible trade surplus offset the deficit in merchandise trade as well as net outflows of primary and secondary income, the current account surplus reached MOP152.0 billion, up markedly by MOP23.4 billion from MOP128.6 billion in 2011. Net financial non-reserve assets registered a net outflow of MOP106.8 billion in 2012, compared to a net outflow of MOP13.2 billion in 2011. Of which, a net inflow of direct investment amounting to MOP33.1 billion was recorded, as against the net inflow of MOP12.9 billion in the preceding year while the net outflow of portfolio investment amounted to MOP3.9 billion, down from MOP15.1 billion in 2011. According to the Fiscal Reserve Act that came into force at the outset of 2012, the retained surplus of the MSAR Government had to be carved out from foreign exchange reserves for establishing the MSAR's Fiscal Reserve under a separate account. This reallocation of assets, together with the rapid accumulation of foreign assets related to the Fiscal Reserve during the year, caused the net outflow of other investment in the BOP to surge from MOP10.7 billion in 2011 to MOP136.5 billion in 2012. On the other hand, financial derivatives recorded a net inflow of MOP487.7 million in 2012, as against a net outflow of MOP350.7 million in 2011. Reserve assets in the BOP records the net change in foreign currency assets held by the Monetary Authority of Macao (excluding the MSAR's Fiscal Reserve). In 2012, with the enforcement of the Fiscal Reserve Act, the retained surplus of the MSAR Government was no longer maintained in foreign exchange reserves, hence narrowing the change in reserve assets. After price, exchange rate and other adjustments, reserve assets placed outside of Macao SAR went up by MOP30.1 billion, as compared to an increase of MOP81.6 billion in 2011. Starting from this year, Macao's BOP statistics have been compiled in accordance with the newly revised Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual (Sixth Edition) of the International Monetary Fund. The current release incorporates preliminary estimates of key statistics, and a detailed report with revised data will be published in December 2013. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department
Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel：83952532Fax：28353042 Email: gee@amcm.gov.mo)
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (123.86) for July 2013 increased by 5.38% year-on-year, attributable to dearer charges for eating out, outbound package tours, and higher rentals for dwellings. In comparison with July 2012, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+9.04%); Health (+6.43%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.42%) on account of rising rentals for dwellings, higher charges for out-patient services and eating out, and dearer prices of fresh food and produce. On the contrary, price index of Education and Communication decreased by 3.14% and 2.66% respectively. The CPI-A (123.89) and CPI-B (124.38) increased by 5.84% and 5.31% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for July 2013 increased by 0.43% month-to-month. Higher charges for outbound package tours and rentals for dwellings drove up the price index of Recreation & Culture; and Housing & Fuels by 3.01% and 1.03% respectively. However, price index of Clothing & Footwear decreased by 2.16% upon seasonal sale of Summer clothing. The CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.49% and 0.38% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended July 2013, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.47% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+8.54%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.95%) registered marked increase, while index of Education decreased by 2.69%. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.98% and 5.47% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first seven months of 2013 increased by 5.27% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.82% and 5.17% 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.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) will begin restoration works in the Chapel of St. Francis Xavier, in Coloane, on August 22. The Chapel will be closed during these works, which the CAB intends to finish at the end of November, in order to minimize disruptions and inconveniences to residents and tourists.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released survey results of Manpower Needs and Wages of the Gaming Sector for the second quarter of 2013. Survey coverage excludes junket promoters and junket associates. At the end of the second quarter of 2013, the Gaming Sector had 54,554 full-time employees, up by 5.5% year-on-year. An analysis by occupation indicated that 24,031 were dealers, up by 4.3% year-on-year; moreover, 13,777 were hard & soft count clerks, cage cashiers, pit bosses, casino floorpersons, betting service operators, etc., down slightly by 0.1%. In June 2013, average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) of full-time employees stood at MOP18,900, up by 6.5% year-on-year. Average earnings were MOP16,720 for dealers, and MOP22,400 for hard & soft count clerks, cage cashiers, pit bosses, casino floorpersons, betting service operators, etc., up by 5.8% and 3.7% respectively year-on-year; average earnings of casino & slot machine attendants, security guards, surveillance room operators, etc. were MOP12,780, up by 6.6%. Job vacancies totalled 1,591 at the end of the second quarter of 2013, down by 230 year-on-year. There were 822 vacancies for dealers, up by 35. Hard & soft count clerks, cage cashiers, pit bosses, casino floorpersons, betting service operators, etc., had 239 vacant posts, a decrease of 127. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 52.2% of the vacancies required working experience; 63.4% required junior secondary education or lower, and requirement for knowledge of Mandarin and English stood at 92.5% and 63.7% respectively. In the second quarter of 2013, the Gaming Sector hired 2,552 new employees and the employee recruitment rate (4.7%) decreased by 3.7 percentage points year-on-year. The job vacancy rate (2.8%) fell by 0.6 percentage points, indicating that the human resource situation of the Gaming Sector was relatively stable this quarter.
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According to the statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, the proportion of international business in the local banking sector increased further in the second quarter of 2013. At end-June 2013, the share of international assets in total banking assets expanded to 84.8% from 84.2% at end-March 2013, while the share of international liabilities in total banking liabilities also advanced to 81.2% from 80.8%. Foreign currencies were the dominant denomination in international banking transactions. At end-June 2013, the shares of Pataca (MOP) in total international assets and total international liabilities were 0.5% and 3.1% respectively. Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) and Other Foreign Currencies (OFCs) accounted for 35.5% and 64.1% of total international assets as well as 46.9% and 50.0% of total international liabilities respectively. International Banking Assets
At end-June 2013, total international assets expanded by 6.1% from a quarter ago or 25.5% from a year earlier to MOP766.4 billion (USD95.9 billion). Within this total, external assets grew by 29.0% year-on-year to MOP602.8 billion while local assets in foreign currencies increased by 14.0% to MOP163.6 billion. As a major component of international assets, external loans & deposits advanced by 28.4% to MOP561.0 billion. In particular, cross-border non-bank loans went up by 32.3%. International Banking Liabilities
Total international liabilities increased by 6.1% from three months ago or 24.9% year-on-year to MOP734.5 billion (USD91.9 billion). Of this total, external liabilities and local liabilities in foreign currencies grew year-on-year by 21.2% to MOP383.5 billion and 29.2% to MOP351.0 billion respectively. Foreign currency deposits held by residents and the MSAR government continued to form a major component of international liabilities. This type of deposits grew by 29.4% to MOP329.3 billion at end-June 2013 from MOP254.6 billion at end-June 2012. Breakdown of External Banking Assets and Liabilities by Region
The majority of external assets and liabilities were related to the regions of Asia and Europe. At end-June 2013, claims on Hong Kong and Mainland China occupied 32.3% and 29.3% of total external assets correspondingly, while claims on Portugal, Luxembourg and Germany took up 9.9%, 2.6% and 1.3% respectively. On external liabilities, Hong Kong and Mainland China accounted for 47.7% and 20.9% of the total respectively while Portugal, France and Luxembourg took up respective shares of 4.6%, 4.4% and 1.9%. The compilation of International Banking Statistics follows the methodology advocated by the Bank for International Settlements in order to facilitate Macao SAR's participation in the "Locational International Banking Statistics" project of the international organisation. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao
(Tel：8395 2532; Fax：2835 3042)
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