The first released figures are called "advance estimates". The advance estimates include the real growth of overall GDP and its major expenditure components. When more data become available, the advance estimates will be revised. The revised figures as well as the current price GDP will be released about two weeks later for the first, second and third reference quarters and on the Budget Day for the fourth quarter.

Hong Kong is taking the flexibility options for periodicity and timeliness. The indices are disseminated on a quarterly basis within three months of the end of the reference quarter.

Refer to views on expected changes in volume of business/output, number of persons engaged and prices for the coming quarter as compared with the current quarter.

Includes transactions with the Exchange Fund and resident banks.

These were the Green Bonds (equivalent to HK$168,220 million as at July 31, 2023) issued under the Government Green Bond Programme. They were denominated in US dollars (US$9,750 million with maturity from May 2024 to January 2053), euros (4,500 million euros with maturity from January 2025 to November 2041), Renminbi (RMB30,000 million with maturity from November 2024 to June 2033) and Hong Kong dollars (HK$20,800 million with maturity from February 2024 to May 2025). They do not include the outstanding bonds with nominal value of HK$214,620 million and alternative bonds with nominal value of US$1,000 million (equivalent to HK$7,797 million as at July 31, 2023) issued under the Government Bond Programme (with proceeds credited to the Bond Fund). Of these bonds under the Government Bond Programme (including Silver Bonds with nominal value of HK$86,620 million, which may be redeemed before maturity upon request from bond holders), bonds with nominal value of HK$1,500 million were repaid upon maturity on August 18, 2023; bonds with nominal value of HK$65,499 million will mature within the period from September 2023 to July 2024 and the rest within the period from August 2024 to May 2042.

Includes guarantees provided under the SME Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2001, the Special Loan Guarantee Scheme launched in 2008, the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme launched in 2012 and a commercial loan of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

Loan to the Hong Kong SAR government is at present zero.

Includes loans for trade finance and other loans for use in Hong Kong. Since December 2018, figures for loans for use in/outside Hong Kong have been restated to reflect authorized institutions’ reclassification of working capital loans.

Hong Kong is taking the extensive branch banking system flexibility to disseminate data on the external position with a timeliness of more than one month.

A new sign convention has been adopted for the entire series of the financial account since June 2023. From then on, an increase in financial non-reserve assets/reserve assets is indicated by a positive value while a decrease in financial non-reserve assets/reserve assets is indicated by a negative value.