News

Christmas and New Year is fast approaching. Starting from 1st December 2011, Communications Museum will organize a series of special activities and many beautiful Christmas decorations fills in the Museum. The Macao stamps of 2011 and Christmas stamps from all over the world will be projected on Large Stamp Projection. New Festive background images will be added to the Personal Picture Postcard and Greenscreen Studio. At the Make a Pose area, you can become Santa Claus by taking photos at his paper-board costume that fills with happy laughter around the Museum. All Family visitors are welcome to join the workshops and science demonstrations which will take place at specified times and dates. A new scientific demonstration "Resonance" will be introduced. The hands-on workshop "LED's Changing Looks" will encourage visitors to make a unique decorative lamp with LED and ping-pong balls, while the workshop of "Pop Up Christmas Card" will require visitors to create a trendy Christmas Card with festive decorations. The time schedules and information on/for both workshops can be found in our promotion leaflet. The Communications Museum invites you to join with us in this Christmas and New Year. Information
Tel: 28718063 / 28718570; Fax: 28718018
Website: http://macao.communications.museum
E-mail: info@macao.communications.museum
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that total spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors reached MOP 12.1 billion in the third quarter of 2011, up by 25% in comparison with MOP 9.7 billion from a year earlier; per-capita spending of visitors amounted to MOP 1,633, an increase of 7% compared with MOP 1,529 in the third quarter of 2010. Analyzed by place of residence, per-capita spending of Mainland visitors was MOP 2,026, and that of visitors from Japan at MOP 1,492; Southeast Asia at MOP 1,420; Taiwan, China at MOP 1,199; and Hong Kong at MOP 962. Per-capita spending of tourists (overnight visitors) increased by 6% year-on-year to MOP 2,716 and that of same-day visitors went up by 11% to MOP 647. Per-capita spending of overnight and same-day Mainland visitors topped at MOP 3,390 and MOP 823 respectively. In the third quarter of 2011, per-capita non-shopping spending of visitors amounted to MOP 823, up by 15% compared with MOP 718 from a year earlier, of which expenses on Accommodation and Food & Beverage accounted for 46% and 36% respectively. Per-capita non-shopping spending of visitors from Oceania took the lead at MOP 1,440 and that of overnight visitors from Oceania reached MOP 2,457. Per-capita shopping spending of visitors was similar to the third quarter of 2010, at MOP 810, with Local Food Products (22%), Jewellery & Watches (22%) and Clothing (18%) being the more popular shopping items. Mainland visitors had the highest per-capita shopping spending of MOP 1,233 and that of overnight Mainland visitors reached MOP 1,836. The average length of stay of visitors was identical to the third quarter of 2010, at 1.0 day. Average length of stay of overnight visitors increased by 0.1 day to 1.9 days, while that of same-day visitors held stable at 0.2 day. Total spending and per-capita spending of visitors for the third quarter of 2011 were extrapolated from 47,300 effective questionnaires collected; besides, data for the third quarter of 2010 have been re-compiled accordingly to facilitate direct comparison.
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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 dropped slightly in the third quarter of 2011. At end-September 2011, the share of international assets in total banking assets decreased to 86.1% from 86.9% at end-June 2011, while the share of international liabilities in total banking liabilities also dropped marginally to 80.3% from 80.4%. Foreign currencies remained as the dominant denomination in international banking transactions. At end-September 2011, the shares of Pataca (MOP) in total international assets and total international liabilities were 0.3% and 3.5% respectively. Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) and Other Foreign Currencies (OFCs) accounted for 41.2% and 58.5% of total international assets as well as 44.0% and 52.5% of total international liabilities respectively. International Banking Assets
At end-September 2011, total international assets dropped marginally by 0.3% from three months earlier but grew by 21.7% year-on-year to MOP538.0 billion (USD67.0 billion). Within this total, external assets and local assets in foreign currencies expanded by 14.7% and 48.9% from a year earlier to MOP403.6 billion and MOP134.3 billion respectively. As a major component of international assets, external loans & deposits decreased by 2.6% quarter-to-quarter but increased year-on-year by 17.0% to MOP378.5 billion. In particular, loans to overseas non-bank customers fell notably by 6.7% from the previous quarter. International Banking Liabilities
Meanwhile, total international liabilities edged up by 0.5% quarter-to-quarter or 25.6% from a year earlier to MOP501.7 billion (USD62.5 billion). Of this total, external liabilities and local liabilities in foreign currencies grew year-on-year by 27.2% and 23.8% to MOP269.5 billion and MOP232.2 billion respectively. Foreign currency deposits held by residents continued to form a major component of international liabilities. This type of deposits grew by 22.9% to MOP217.0 billion at end-September 2011 from MOP176.6 billion a year earlier. Overseas interbank liabilities, on the other hand, fell by 4.6% from the previous quarter. 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-September 2011, claims on Hong Kong and Mainland China occupied respectively 37.5% and 19.2% of total external assets, while claims on Portugal and Luxembourg took up 11.7% and 1.6% correspondingly. On external liabilities, Hong Kong and Mainland China occupied 44.1% and 20.8% of the total respectively while France and Portugal took up respective shares of 6.2% and 5.3%. 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：83952532; Fax：28353042)
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Federation Internationale de L'Automobile Deputy President Mr. Graham Stoker is visiting the Macau Grand Prix for the first time this year. Mr. Stoker met with Macau Grand Prix Committee Co-Ordinator Engineer Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, Deputy Co-Ordinator Davina Chu, Automobile General Association Macao-China President of the General Assembly Mr. Charles Lo and President Mr. Chong Coc Veng. Engineer Costa Antunes briefed Mr. Stoker on the long and illustrious history of the event, and brought him up to date on the programme for this weekend. Following a tour of the Grand Prix area and the facilities, Mr. Stoker was impressed by what he saw, and commented that the event was very exciting and well-organised, and compared well with other major motorsport events. Mr. Stoker will present the FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup trophy to the winner of the "SJM" Formula 3 Grand Prix on Sunday.
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Following the publication of the article "Rutter's 'last-chance' bid for bike record" on page C11 of the South China Morning Post dated November 19, 2011, the Macau Grand Prix Committee wishes to clarify the following: •The Macau Grand Prix Committee has not made any comment or statement regarding the matter referred to in the article •All consultants employed by the Macau Grand Prix Committee are awarded yearly contracts on an annual basis, and this has been the practice for several decades. Contracts are awarded following each Macau Grand Prix for the following year.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the 25 banks in Macao had a total of 5,165 employees at the end of the third quarter of 2011, up by 7.8% year-on-year. Analyzed by occupation, 2,356 were clerks, with 831 being bank tellers, up by 6.8% and 4.7% respectively year-on-year; technicians and associate professionals totalled 1,450, an increase of 10.9%. In September 2011, average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) of full-time employees amounted to MOP19,900, up by 5.7% year-on-year. Average earnings of directors and managers stood at MOP40,760, up by 3.8% year-on-year, and that of bank tellers increased by 6.5% to MOP11,540. At the end of the third quarter of 2011, number of job vacancies of the Banking Sector totalled 169, an increase of 16.6% year-on-year; vacancies for clerks stood at 90, with 42 for bank tellers. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 57.4% of the vacancies required working experience, and 71.0% required tertiary education. Besides Cantonese, other preferred language skills were Mandarin (95.3%) and English (82.8%). The Banking Sector hired 470 new employees in the third quarter of 2011, and the employee recruitment rate surged by 2.3 percentage points year-on-year to 9.3%. The employee turnover rate rose by 0.3 percentage point year-on-year to 5.5%, while the job vacancy rate decreased by 0.5 percentage point to 2.5%.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Composite CPI (112.12) for October 2011 increased by 6.71% year-on-year. The increment was attributable to rising charges for meals bought away from home and dearer prices of gasoline. For the 12 months ended October 2011, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.34% from the previous period; the CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.01% and 5.52% respectively. In comparison with October 2010, significant increase was observed in the price index of Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+10.03%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+9.75%); and Transport (+9.23%) on account of dearer prices of gasoline, gold jewellery, fresh fish and fresh pork, as well as rising charges for meals bought away from home. On the contrary, price index of Communication decreased by 14.00% year-on-year. The CPI-A (111.32) and CPI-B (112.47) for October 2011 increased by 6.42% and 6.93% respectively. The Composite CPI for October 2011 increased by 0.58% month-to-month, of which the price index of Clothing & Footwear rose by 2.08% upon new arrival of men and women's clothings. However, price index of Recreation & Culture and Transport decreased by 0.55% and 0.33% respectively. The CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.59% and 0.56% respectively month-to-month. The average Composite CPI for the first ten months of 2011 increased by 5.62% year-on-year; the CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.28% and 5.81% respectively. The Composite CPI, with base year April 2008-March 2009, 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 Monetary Authority of Macao released today the credit card statistics for the third quarter of 2011. The total number of personal credit cards in circulation was 503,221 at the end of September 2011, equivalent to an increase of 6.4% over a quarter ago. The numbers of Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards were 385,281, 65,511 and 52,429 respectively. MOP cards, HKD cards and RMB cards witnessed respective growth of 5.8%, 2.9% and 15.5% quarter-to-quarter. On an annual basis, RMB cards soared 129.3% while MOP cards and HKD cards grew 19.9% and 12.0% respectively. As at the end of September 2011, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao reached MOP8.5 billion, up 4.9% from end-June 2011. Credit card receivables amounted to MOP1.3 billion while the rollover amount totalled MOP457.2 million, accounting for 34.5% of credit card receivables. The delinquency ratio, i.e. the ratio of delinquent amount overdue for more than three months to credit card receivables, remained virtually unchanged at 0.98%.
During the third quarter of 2011, the credit card turnover rose 8.2% quarter-to-quarter to MOP2.5 billion. The cash advance turnover was MOP139.8 million, accounting for 5.5% of total credit card turnover. Credit card repayments, in which payments for interest and fees are included, jumped 11.8% from the previous quarter to MOP2.6 billion. For enquiry, please contact: Research and Statistics Department
Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel：8395 2532Fax：2835 3042)
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that purchase and sale of property decreased significantly in the third quarter of 2011 on account of the measures introduced by the Government to curb the soaring property prices. As per Stamp Duty record, a total of 3,738 building units were purchased and sold at MOP9.62 billion in the third quarter, down by 71.1% and 75.2% respectively quarter-to-quarter. There were 2,194 residential units purchased and sold at MOP5.92 billion, down by 73.4% and 82.2% respectively over the previous quarter. Analyzed by year of completion of the building, 696 residential units purchased and sold were completed in 2000 and after, 868 units in 1990-1999 and 630 units in 1989 and before. As regards floor area of the unit, the majority (1,012) had an area of 50 to 99.9 square metres (46.1% of total). The average transaction price of all residential units amounted to MOP36,345 per square metre of usable area, down by 17.9% quarter-to-quarter. The average price of those in the Macao Peninsula (MOP35,416), Taipa (MOP38,162) and Coloane (MOP61,893) decreased by 16.3%, 10.1% and 11.7% respectively quarter-to-quarter. The average price of residential units with an area of 100 to 149.9 square metres decreased by 19.8% quarter-to-quarter to MOP41,210 per square metre, those having 50 to 99.9 square metres decreased by 17.5% to MOP35,778 per square metre. In addition, the average price of office units decreased by 7.1% quarter-to-quarter to MOP34,011 per square metre; however, the average price of industrial units increased by 25.1% to MOP14,678 per square metre. In the third quarter of 2011, a total of 2,262 cases of real estate sale and purchase contracts were made, down by 35.8% quarter-to-quarter, and the number of units dropped by 29.5% to 3,032. Moreover, there were 1,884 cases of residential mortgage contracts signed, a decrease of 24.4% quarter-to-quarter. In the third quarter of 2011, gross floor area of buildings completed stood at 18,066 square metres, altogether providing 122 units (107 are residential units), 73 parking spaces for cars and 38 parking spaces for motorcycles.
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It's all systems go for the start of the 58th Macau Grand Prix, which gets underway tomorrow with the first of four days of non-stop action. FIA officials, accompanied by members of the Macau Grand Prix Committee, this morning carried out the final inspection of the 6.2km Guia street circuit, and gave the green light for the event to get under way. Away from the track, race officials attended a final briefing to put the finishing touches to the myriad arrangements which are involved in the meticulous planning of this unique nine-race event. With a stellar line-up of the world's best single seater, touring and sports car drivers, and exciting road racing motorcyclists, substantial media coverage is expected from the more than 1,000 reporters, photographers and broadcasters who have been accredited to cover the event. Live satellite broadcasts will bring all the high-octane thrills and spills to countless millions across the globe. While organisers to continue to upgrade the event each year, this time Reservoir and Grandstand ticket holders won't miss a second of the action with more TV screens added in the general areas. As the sun rises on the Macau SAR on Thursday morning, the city will be perfectly prepared for a memorable four-day spectacular.
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