Banking, Securities And Insurance

At the end of 2005, money supply of broad sense (M2) was 29.9 trillion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 17.6 percent. Money supply of narrow sense (M1) was 10.7 trillion yuan, up 11.8 percent. Cash in circulation (M0) was 2.4 trillion yuan, up 11.9 percent. Savings deposits in renminbi and foreign currencies in all items in financial institutions totaled 30 trillion yuan at the end of 2005, up 18.2 percent. Loans in renminbi and foreign currencies in all items in financial institutions reached 20.7 trillion yuan, up 12.8 percent.

Savings Deposits and Loans in Renminbi and Foreign Currencies of All Financial Institutions, 2005

At the end of 2005, China's foreign exchange reserves stood at US$818.9 billion, an increase of US$208.9 billion compared with that at the end of the pervious year. On July 21, 2005, reform was initiated in the renminbi exchange rate regime. At the end of the year, the exchange rate was 8.0702 yuan to US$1, an appreciation by 2.56 percent over that at the end of the previous year.

Various tax incomes for the whole year amounted to 3,086.6 billion yuan (excluding tariffs and agricultural taxes); it was up 20 percent or an increase of 514.8 billion yuan over 2004. Profits made by industrial enterprises above designated size stood at 1,436.2 billion yuan, up 22.6 percent over the previous year. The profits-sales ratio was 5.9 percent, which was 0.1 percentage point lower than that in the previous year.

Loans in renminbi from rural financial cooperation institutions (i.e. rural credit cooperatives, rural cooperation banks and rural commercial banks) stood at 2.2 trillion yuan, an increase of 345.1 billion yuan compared with that at the end of 2004. Loans in renminbi for consumption use in all financial institutions totaled 2.2 trillion yuan, an increase of 199.6 billion yuan. Of all consumption loans, those for individual housing totaled 1.84 trillion yuan, an increase of 244.4 billion yuan.

Funds raised through issuing stocks and share rights on the stock market amounted to 188.3 billion yuan, an increase of 36.3 billion yuan over the previous year. Of this total, 20 companies issued A shares (including newly issued and convertible loan stocks) and another two companies issued A share rights, receiving 33.8 billion yuan worth of capital, a decrease of 49.8 billion yuan over 2004. The issue of H shares by 24 companies raised another 154.5 billion yuan worth of capital, an increase of 88.7 billion yuan. The number of listed companies (with A or B shares) on China's stock market rose from 1,377 at the end of 2004 to 1,381 at the end of 2005, representing 3,243 billion yuan worth of market value, a shrink of 12.5 percent over the previous year. Corporate debentures with maturity at one year or longer issued throughout the year totaled 65.4 billion yuan, an increase of 33.2 billion yuan over 2004.

The premium of insurance companies totaled 492.7 billion yuan, up 14.0 percent over the previous year. Of this total, life insurance premium earnings amounted to 324.4 billion yuan; health and casualty insurance premium earnings, 45.3 billion yuan; and property insurance premium earnings, 123 billion yuan. Insurance companies paid an indemnity worth 113 billion yuan, of which, life insurance indemnity was 30.7 billion yuan, health and casualty insurance indemnity was 15.1 billion yuan, and property insurance indemnity was 67.2 billion yuan.