The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
      
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), as representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR Government), announces today (June 17) that a tender of 10-year Government Bonds (Bonds) through the re-opening of existing 10-year Government Bond issue 10GB2901 under the Institutional Bond Issuance Programme will be held on June 26, 2019 (Wednesday), for settlement on 27 June 27, 2019 (Thursday).
      
     An additional amount of HK$1.5 billion of the outstanding 10-year Bonds (issue no. 10GB2901) will be on offer.  The Bonds will mature on January 17, 2029 and will carry interest at the rate of 1.97% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears. The Indicative Pricings of the Bonds on June 17, 2019 is 103.25 with an annualised yield of 1.612%.
      
     Under the Institutional Bond Issuance Programme, tender is open only to Recognized Dealers which are appointed as Primary Dealers.  Anyone wishing to apply for the Bonds on offer can do so through any of the Primary Dealers on the current published list, which can be obtained from the Government Bond Programme's website at www.hkgb.gov.hk.  Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof.
      
     Tender results will be published on the HKMA's website, the Government Bond Programme's website, the Reuters screen (HKGBINDEX), and Bloomberg (GBHK <GO>) not later than 3pm on the tender day.

HKSAR Government Institutional Bond Issuance Programme tender informatiom
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Tender information of re-opening of 10-year Government Bonds under the Institutional Bond Issuance Programme:
 

 
Price/Yield Table of the re-opening Government Bonds at tender for reference*only:

 
* Disclaimer
 
The information provided here is for reference only.  Although extreme care has been taken to ensure that the information provided is accurate and up-to-date, the HKMA does not warrant that all, or any part of, the information provided is accurate in all respects.  You are encouraged to conduct your own enquiries to verify any particular piece of information provided on it.  The HKMA shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered as a result of any use or reliance on any of the information provided here.

     Police today (June 17) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Sheung Shui.

     Wong Yan-on, aged 26, went missing after he left his residence in Tai Ping Estate on June 15 afternoon. His family made a report to Police yesterday (June 16).
         
     He is about 1.7 metres tall, 60 kilograms in weight and of thin build. He has a long face with yellow complexion and short straight black hair. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, grey shorts and black shoes.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of New Territories North on 3661 3113, 6273 5787 or email to rmpu-ntn-1@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) published today (June 17) the June 2019 issue of the "Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics" (HKMDS).

     Apart from providing up-to-date statistics, this issue also contains three feature articles entitled "Statistics on Job Vacancies from 2008 to 2018", "The Cultural and Creative Industries in Hong Kong" and "Statistics on Students of Programmes Funded through the University Grants Committee". Statistics presented in the "Statistics on Students of Programmes Funded through the University Grants Committee" article are based on the data source from the University Grants Committee Secretariat.

"Statistics on Job Vacancies from 2008 to 2018"

     This feature article gives a brief account of the compilation methodology of job vacancies statistics and the trend of number of job vacancies in the most recent 10 years.

    During the period from 2008 to 2018, the number of vacancies measured from the Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies was generally on an upward trend. Among the various industry sections covered by the survey, the largest increases were found in "accommodation and food services", "social and personal services" and "professional and business services".

     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Employment Statistics and Central Register of Establishments Section, C&SD (Tel: 2582 4751; email: employment@censtatd.gov.hk).

"The Cultural and Creative Industries in Hong Kong"

     The cultural and creative industries are among the most dynamic economic sectors in Hong Kong, contributing to both economic growth and job creation. They comprise a set of knowledge-based activities that deploy creativity and intellectual capital as primary inputs and deliver goods and services with cultural, artistic and creative contents. This feature article provides the latest statistics of the cultural and creative industries in Hong Kong in 2017.

     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Construction and Miscellaneous Services Statistics Section, C&SD (Tel: 3903 6962; email: asps@censtatd.gov.hk).

"Statistics on Students of Programmes Funded through the University Grants Committee"

     The proportion of Hong Kong population having attained higher education level continues to increase over the years. By 2018, nearly a quarter of the population aged 15 and over was educated to first degree level or above.

     The University Grants Committee (UGC) is the non-statutory body which advises the Government of the Special Administrative Region on the funding and strategic development of higher education in Hong Kong. This feature article analyses the statistics on university students of programmes funded through the UGC to reflect the development of the publicly-funded higher education sector in Hong Kong after the implementation of the New Academic Structure from the 2012/13 academic year.

     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Statistics Unit, University Grants Committee Secretariat (Tel: 2844 9919; email: ugc@ugc.edu.hk).

     Published in bilingual form, the HKMDS is a compact volume of official statistics containing about 140 tables. It collects up-to-date statistical series on various aspects of the social and economic situation of Hong Kong. Topics include population; labour; external trade; National Income and Balance of Payments; prices; business performance; energy; housing and property; government accounts, finance and insurance; and transport, communications and tourism. For selected key statistical items, over 20 charts depicting the annual trend in the past decade and quarterly or monthly trend in the recent two years are also available. Users can download the Digest free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp460.jsp?productCode=B1010002).

     Enquiries about the contents of the Digest can be directed to the Statistical Information Dissemination Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4738; email: gen-enquiry@censtatd.gov.hk).

     A contractor who illegally used powered mechanical equipment to carry out construction works at night at a construction site for the Housing Department's subsidised sale flats on Ying Hei Road, Tung Chung was convicted and fined $50,000 at Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (June 17) for contravening the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO).

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) received complaints from members of the public and a property management company in June last year that construction works were being carried out at a construction site on Ying Hei Road, Tung Chung at night, generating noise and causing nuisance to residents nearby. After investigation, the EPD confirmed that the contractor of the construction site was using powered mechanical equipment, including concrete lorry mixers and a mobile crane, to carry out construction works without a valid construction noise permit during the period from 7pm to midnight. The EPD prosecuted the contractor of the construction site under the NCO after investigation and gathering evidence.

     The NCO aims to protect the public from disturbance of rest. An EPD spokesman emphasised that contractors must properly arrange for works to be carried out during the daytime on weekdays with a view to avoiding causing noise pollution and nuisance to residents nearby. According to the NCO, unless the contractor has obtained a valid construction noise permit, no powered mechanical equipment for any construction works shall be used between 7pm and 7am on the following day, or at any time on a general holiday (including Sundays). Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 on first conviction, and $200,000 on second or subsequent conviction. A daily fine of $20,000 can also be imposed for a continuous offence.

     Further to the external merchandise trade statistics in value terms for April 2019 released earlier on, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (June 17) the volume and price statistics of external merchandise trade for that month.
 
     In April 2019, the volume of Hong Kong's total exports of goods decreased by 4.2% over April 2018. Concurrently, the volume of imports of goods decreased by 7.2%.
 
     Comparing the first four months of 2019 with the same period in 2018, the volume of Hong Kong's total exports of goods decreased by 4.2%. Concurrently, the volume of imports of goods decreased by 5.6%.
 
     Comparing the three-month period ending April 2019 with the preceding three months on a seasonally adjusted basis, the volume of total exports of goods decreased by 1.8%. Concurrently, the volume of imports of goods decreased by 0.9%.
 
     Changes in volume of external merchandise trade are derived from changes in external merchandise trade value with the effect of price changes discounted.
 
     Comparing April 2019 with April 2018, the prices of total exports of goods increased by 2.0%. Concurrently, the prices of imports of goods also increased by 2.0%.
 
     As regards price changes in the first four months of 2019 over the same period in 2018, the prices of total exports of goods increased by 2.1%. Concurrently, the prices of imports of goods also increased by 2.1%.
 
     Price changes in external merchandise trade are reflected by changes in unit value indices of external merchandise trade, which are compiled based on average unit values or, for certain commodities, specific price data.
 
     The terms of trade index is derived from the ratio of price index of total exports of goods to that of imports of goods. Compared with the same periods in 2018, the index remained virtually unchanged in both April 2019 and the first four months of 2019.

      Changes in the unit value and volume of total exports of goods by main destination are shown in Table 1.
 
      Comparing April 2019 with April 2018, double-digit declines were recorded for the total export volume to the USA (-18.2%), India (-15.5%) and Japan (-14.0%). Concurrently, the total export volume to the mainland of China (the Mainland) decreased by 4.0%. On the other hand, a double-digit growth of 38.8% was recorded for the total export volume to Singapore.
 
      Over the same period of comparison, the total export prices to the Mainland, Japan, the USA and India increased by 2.9%, 2.6%, 2.5% and 1.2% respectively. On the other hand, the total export prices to Singapore decreased by 3.4%.
 
     Changes in the unit value and volume of imports of goods by main supplier are shown in Table 2.
 
     Comparing April 2019 with April 2018, a double-digit decline of 11.5% was recorded for the import volume from Taiwan. Concurrently, the import volume from the USA, Singapore, Japan and the Mainland decreased by 7.4%, 5.5%, 4.3% and 3.8% respectively.
 
     Over the same period of comparison, the import prices from all main suppliers increased: Singapore (+4.5%), the Mainland (+2.6%), Japan (+2.1%), the USA (+1.6%) and Taiwan (+1.5%).
 
Further information
 
     Details of the above statistics are published in the April 2019 issue of "Hong Kong Merchandise Trade Index Numbers". Users can download the publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp230.jsp?productCode=B1020006).
 
     Enquiries on merchandise trade indices may be directed to the Trade Analysis Section (1) of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4918).