The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (November 17) the composite interest rate at the end of October 2017.*
 
     The composite interest rate, which is a measure of the average cost of funds of banks, increased by 20 basis points to 0.50% at the end of October 2017, from 0.30% at the end of September 2017 (see Chart 1 in the Annex). The rise in the composite interest rate reflected an increase in the weighted funding cost for short-term deposits as a result of IPO straddling the month end (see Chart 2 in the Annex).
 
     The historical data of the composite interest rate from the end of the fourth quarter of 2003 to the end of October 2017 are available in the Monthly Statistical Bulletin on the HKMA website (www.hkma.gov.hk). The next data release is scheduled for December 19, 2017 and will provide the composite interest rate at the end of November 2017.

* The composite interest rate is a weighted average interest rate of all Hong Kong dollar interest bearing liabilities, which include deposits from customers, amounts due to banks, negotiable certificates of deposit and other debt instruments, and Hong Kong dollar non-interest bearing demand deposits on the books of banks. Data from retail banks, which account for about 90 per cent of the total customers' deposits in the banking sector, are used in the calculation. It should be noted that the composite interest rate represents only average interest expenses. There are various other costs involved in the making of a loan, such as operating costs (e.g. staff and rental expenses), credit cost and hedging cost, which are not covered by the composite interest rate.

Ends/Friday, November 17, 2017
Issued at HKT 16:53

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