News

The Second Review of the 2014 Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), will be held on Saturday, 8 November 2014, at the Mirror Hall of the Dom Pedro V Theatre. The Programme was received enthusiastically, garnering a total of 23 applications, from which 15 fashion design works were selected for the Second Review, after the first round selection. The Second Review, a closed-door session, will be held at the Dom Pedro V Theatre Mirror Hall from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on 8 November. Other facilities of the Theatre will remain open.
For enquiries, please contact Ms. Lam of IC through tel. no. 2892 4040 during office hours.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, money supply continued to drop in September. As loans increased whereas deposits decreased, the loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector rose from a month earlier.
Money supply
Currency in circulation grew 0.4% whereas demand deposits dropped 4.5%. M1 thus decreased 3.7% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities grew 0.1%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, decreased 0.4% to MOP487.4 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 8.8% and 14.2% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 25.2%, up 0.4 percentage points from a month ago or 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 49.5%, down 0.9 percentage points month-to-month or 3.9 percentage points year-on-year.
Deposits
Resident deposits decreased 0.4% from the preceding month to MOP477.3 billion. Of which, MOP deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 1.3% and 1.6% whereas HKD deposits dropped 2.1%. Non-resident deposits rose 1.1% to MOP234.8 billion. Public sector deposits with the banking sector decreased 2.8% to MOP88.0 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector dropped 0.2% from a month earlier to MOP800.1 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 18.3% and 41.2% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 1.9% from a month ago to MOP328.9 billion. Among which, MOP91.1 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP209.7 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 27.7% and 63.8% of the total respectively. Analysed by economic sector, "information technology", "non-monetary financial institutions" and "restaurants, hotels and similar" increased at respective rates of 132.3%, 87.4% and 39.5% compared with a quarter ago, whereas "transport, warehouse and communications", "electricity, gas and water" and "mining industries" dropped 12.2%, 6.2% and 3.9% respectively. External loans rose 1.0% to MOP346.3 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 1.3% (MOP4.5 billion) and 23.3% (MOP80.8 billion) respectively.
Loan-to-deposit ratios
The loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-September rose 1.5 percentage points from the previous month to 58.2%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors also grew by 1.4 percentage points to 84.4%. Annex Table
5 November 2014 Detailed Monetary and Financial Statistics are available in the latest issue of Monthly Bulletin of Monetary Statistics on AMCM Internet Website. (http://www.amcm.gov.mo/publication/Publication.htm)
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) keeps providing a diverse range of specific and professional training opportunities for local travel trade to enhance their service quality and work efficiency overall in the industry, so as to uplift quality tourism. From this January to October, the Office has held nearly 100 courses and seminars including training sessions for the Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme and those specifically for the 8th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting. Dedicated to "strengthen industry training and management; enhance tourism service quality" as one of its objectives this year, MGTO has organized a variety of 96 training courses and seminars during the period from January to October with active participation and support from industry partners. Admitting over 2,900 participants, the training sessions were designed for personnel from travel agencies, retail business, hotel and catering industry as well as tour guides and tour bus drivers. In April, MGTO launched the Quality Tourism Services Accreditation Scheme (QTSAS). The purpose is not only to establish service quality standards for the tourism industry, encourage and support industry partners to provide higher quality service, but also to commend tourism businesses for their excellent service. The catering industry was chosen to kick off the scheme this year. To familiarize participating merchants with the assessment criteria, MGTO hosted a session in June to explain the QTSAS assessment criteria and simple steps for participants to develop their improvement action plan. The session also shared with participants a wealth of skills and tips on their conduct at work and aspects to notice in pursuit of service improvement. Relevant training courses were also held to foster the scheme, including the "Service Accreditation Scheme – Frontline Staff Service Attitude Training" organized by MGTO and Macau Institute of Management for participating merchants in September. This session aimed to boost the level and self-value of frontline staff with a positive mindset built up through customer service psychology so as to promote business branding in the industry. To prepare for the 8th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting and 45th APEC Tourism Working Group Meeting in September, MGTO held a series of training sessions in August for student volunteers, MGTO staff and outsourced public relation personnel in charge of welcoming the meeting attendees. The three training sessions covered two topics as follow: "Introduction of Macau" and "Professional Etiquette in Service Industry". The sessions aimed to nurture a good service attitude in participants and help them to review Macau's history and tourism information, give an impressive image of quality service and be well prepared for the hospitality work during the meetings. MGTO offered professional training opportunities to meet the specific needs and suggestions of the tourism sector. Held in September, the "Crisis Management Workshop for Professional Tour Guides" gave a lecture on positive skills to handle crisis and unexpected incidents for licensed tour guides in Macau. The Office also held another crisis management seminar for over 200 participants from retail business, associations and QTSAS-qualified merchants. In October, the Office invited a speaker from Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to address a three-day "Workshop for Travel Agency Frontline Staff – Tour Escort", the first-of-its-kinds training workshop organized by MGTO. Considering the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT)'s publication of "Macau Tourist Satisfaction Index (MTSI) Study for Retail Shops and Suggestions for Service Improvement" which suggests a demand of more training sessions to address service and language skills, MGTO held the "New Retail Approach: How to Create Customer Experience Workshop" in the first half of this year to enhance the service skills of retail shop personnel; the "English Workshop for Retail Sector" was held in June to lecture retail employees on common English vocabulary used at work. The number of Muslim visitors has been climbing up in Macau in recent years. In response to the trend, MGTO will partner with a lecturer from the University of Al-Azhar Indonesia to host two sessions namely the "Workshop for Islamic Culture in Tourism" this month. The university lecturer is recommended by MGTO's market representative in Indonesia. In addition, the Office will host a "Mandarin Workshop for Retail Sector" this month. Aside from the tourism sector, the Office often provides different types of training for MGTO's staff as well, including a session about "professional etiquette in service industry" and a "Media Handling Workshop". MGTO will maintain close partnership with local sectors and training institutes to organize different kinds of training sessions to cater for the need of industry partners. Meanwhile, the Office will make a continued effort to build Macau into a quality tourist city in line with Macau's development strategy to establish a "World Centre of Tourism and Leisure". This press release is available at: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo
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The 26th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), will be held in May 2015. In order to increase the number of performances and exchange opportunities for local professional dancers, the MAF and the Taipei National Theatre and Concert Hall, Taiwan, have jointly commissioned the W C Dance Company from Taiwan the creation of a choreographic work entitled Aerodynamics. The organisers are recruiting local dancers for this piece, and the successful candidates will have the opportunity to receive professional training in Taipei from the W C dance Company and to participate in subsequent performances. Admission is free. Applications are now open until 13 November 2014 at 5:00pm. The selection will be held on 16 November at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply. Residing in America for 10 years, Lin Wen-chung worked as a dancer for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and was hailed a 'super dancer' by The Village Voice in New York; Lin Wen-chung is one of the few Taiwanese dancers who were trained in Taiwan but who rose to fame overseas. He returned to Taiwan in 2008 to establish W C dance Company; his work demonstrates a unique creative method and aesthetics, meticulous body language, and rhythmical movements that blend Eastern and Western cultural elements. Lin Wen-chung is a rising star in Taiwan.
In Aerodynamics, through the reorganisation of the stereoscopic dimension of space and time, Lin Wen-chung carefully observes the details of muscle movement and studies how to create a set of movements which demonstrate the body image of rising, temporary stay, constant speed, gliding, flipping, floating, etc. Aerodynamics employs dancing as a metaphor to express the human desire against gravity, travelling between physical and psychological spaces and generating infinite imagination of body's dynamics. The piece will be presented in Macao and Taipei in May and June next year, respectively. Rehearsals will be held from December to June 2015 in Taipei. The regulations and application forms can be downloaded from the MAF website (www.icm.gov.mo/fam) or can be collected at the IC Building reception desk at Tap Seac Square. For details, please refer to the relevant regulations.
Interested candidates should complete and sign the application form and submit it to the IC Building reception desk or email it to cklou@icm.gov.mo in PDF format. Please indicate 'Application for Dancers Recruitment for Aerodynamics - Applicant's name' in the subject field of the email.' All selected candidates will be contacted. For enquiries, please call Mr. Lou on (853) 8399 6625 during office hours or email cklou@icm.gov.mo, indicating 'Enquiry about the Dancers Recruitment for Aerodynamics' in the subject field.
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The Macao Central Library under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the Consulate General of Poland in Hong Kong and the Macau Ricci Institute, jointly host the Exhibition "Between Science and Art: The Marvels of Asia in the Eyes of Polish Jesuit Michał Piotr Boym, SJ", to be opened on 8 November 2014, Saturday, at the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library (No. 3, Largo de Santo Agostinho) at 6:00pm. Ground-breaking European sinologist Fr. Michał Piotr Boym, SJ (1612-1659) - acknowledged as the 'Polish Marco Polo' - was a renowned 17th century Polish missionary, sinologist and painter. The exhibition showcases several reproductions of Boym's works, including maps, scientific illustrations of fauna and flora as well as a human anatomy chart of immense historical significance and artistic value. The exhibition spreads to the garden of the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, displaying the animals painted by Boym with 3-D installations and it is hoped that Boym's world can be brought to the present from some 400 years ago. The exhibition will be held from 8 November 2014 to 18 January 2015 and it will be open from10:00am to 7:00pm from Monday to Saturday and from 11:00am to 7:00pm on Sundays. Admission is free.
The organisers invited scholars from Poland and Beijing to a seminar aiming at sharing the results of Boym's research on China. The seminar will be held on 8 November 2014 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm at the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library and will be conducted in English and Mandarin (interpretation services will not be provided). Admission is free. For seat reservation, please contact IC until 7 November 2014 during office hours through tel. no. 2837 7117.
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Due to the rearrangement of programmes, the Concert "Dragon Rising, Tiger Leaping" by the Macao Chinese Orchestra under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, scheduled for Saturday, 13 December 2014 at 8:00pm, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, 17 December 2014, at 8:00pm at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Macao Chinese Orchestra, Pang Ka Pang, and the Fujian Folk Orchestra will join hands to present a number of works in celebration of the 15th Anniversary of Macao's Handover to China. Tickets for this concert are available at the Macau Ticketing Network. Patrons who purchased tickets for the concert may exchange or refund them at the Macau Ticketing Network from today until 17 December 2014. In addition, the Macao Chinese Orchestra's Christmas Concert, initially scheduled for 19 December 2014, at 8:00pm at St. Dominic's Church, was cancelled. For enquiries, please contact the Macao Chinese Orchestra at (853) 8399 6679 or the Macau Ticketing Network at (853) 2855 5555. More details are available on the Macao Chinese Orchestra website: www.icm.gov.mo/ochm.
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Macao Post will issue a set of postcards on 12th November 2014 titled "Lotus". Lotus is considered as one of the symbols of the Macao Special Administrative Region, and this postcards Collection is especially designed with its unique flowering process. A full set of 4 postcards in exquisite cover is priced at MOP28.00 and available for sale at the Macao Post Headquarters and all post offices. Macao Post will also launch 2 Gift Sets of Teacup, titled "Lotus Flower" and "Lotus Pod". Each gift set of teacup is packed elegantly together with a set of "Lotus" postcards. The selling price for each gift set is MOP320.00 and it is exclusively available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters. Limited Quantity! Get the opportunity!
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To celebrate the 61st Macao Grand Prix, Macao Post announced that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up behind the Lisboa Stand (Restriction area for ticket entry) and the Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters on 15th and 16th November 2014, providing the commemorative postmark cancellation service for the "61st Macao Grand Prix". Two designs of commemorative envelopes priced at MOP2.50 each will be issued on the respective dates. Various philatelic products will also be available for sale during the above activity. The service hours are as following: Behind the Lisboa Stand (Restriction area for ticket entry)
15/11 10:00 to 17:00
16/11 10:00 to 17:00 Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters
15/11 10:00 to 17:00
16/11 13:00 to 17:00 Welcome to visit and collect Macao Stamps.
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To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Professional Civil Servants Association of Macao, Macao Post announced that a Temporary Post Counter will be set up at our Philatelic Shop located at Macao Post Headquarters, at 9:00 to 12:00 on 8th November 2014 to provide the commemorative postmark cancellation service for the "United for 25 Years – Working Towards a Better Future". A commemorative envelope will be distributed to public, and various philatelic products will also be available for sale during the above activity. Welcome to visit and collect Macao Stamps.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers increased by 2.3% quarter-to-quarter to MOP672 in the third quarter of 2014, and the average daily wage of local construction workers was MOP883, up by 7.0%. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers was MOP677, up by 2.4% quarter-to-quarter. With an increase in demand for structural construction workers, the average daily wages of concrete formwork carpenters (MOP771), welders (MOP833) and plant operators (MOP927) increased by 9.5%, 9.2% and 7.3% respectively. As regards completion of buildings, the average daily wages of both air-conditioning mechanics (MOP635) and carpenters (MOP587) decreased by 11.3%. Meanwhile, the average daily wage of unskilled workers was MOP390, up slightly by 0.8%. After discounting the effect of inflation, wage index of construction workers (94.1) increased by 0.6% quarter-to-quarter in real terms, with the indices of concrete formwork carpenters and bricklayers & plasterers rising by 8.4% and 4.5%, but that of carpenters falling by 12.3%. Meanwhile, wage index of local construction workers (121.7) increased by 5.9% quarter-to-quarter in real terms. As regards construction materials, average price of concrete increased by 3.5% quarter-to-quarter, at MOP686 per cubic metre in the third quarter of 2014; average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars was MOP4,959 per tonne, down by 1.9%. Meanwhile, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings (130.1) in the third quarter of 2014 increased by 0.9% quarter-to-quarter.
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