Macau
Lunar New Year pushes Macau's CPI by 6pc in February
The lunar New year pushed the composite consumer price index (CPI) up in Macau in February 2013, leading to a 6.6 percent increase year-on-year compared to the same period last year.
The Statistics and Census Service said this is attributable to higher prices of fresh food and produce, higher charges for eating out and outbound package tours.
Macau's retail sales hit USD6.6b in 2012
Macau's retail sales for 2012 reached MOP52.85 billion (USD6.6b), up by 22 percent year-on-year, data from the Statistics and Census Service shows.
Sales of watches, clocks and jewellery led the pack, amounting to MOP15.7b, up by 28 percent.
Macau retail sales up by 13pc in 3Q
The value of retail sales for the third quarter of this year totalled MOP12.45 billion (USD1.6 billion), up by 13 percent year-on-year, data from the Statistics and Census Service shows.
The value of retail sales for the third quarter, however, decreased by 3 percent compared with the second quarter.
Macau's gambling income up moderately
Gambling revenue growth in Macau, the world's most lucrative casino market, picked up moderately last month after hitting a three-year low, data released on Monday showed, as high-rolling gamblers raised their bets at tables in the city.
Revenue rose 5.5 percent to MOP26.1 billion (USD3.3b) in August from the same month last year, according to data posted on the Macau gambling authority's website.
Macau's GDP posts sharp growth slowdown
Macau's economy posted a significant growth slowdown in the second quarter, figures released on Thursday by the Statistics and Census Service show.
Macau sees casino gains slackening
Casino revenue in Macau, the world's biggest gambling market, grew last month at the slowest pace since the global recession in 2009 as China's economic slowdown crimped demand from high-rolling gamblers.
Macau authorities released data on Wednesday that showed July revenue rose to MOP24.58 billion (USD3.1 billion), up 1.5 percent compared with a year earlier and the lowest growth rate since mid-2009.
Macau's consumers less confident
Macau’s consumer confidence index dropped by almost four points in the second quarter to 84.9 points out of a highest score of 200.
Housing prices were one of the main triggers pushing consumer confidence down.
The survey is run by the Macau University of Science and Technology.
Macau needs to go beyond gaming says MGM China chairwoman
MGM China Holdings Ltd's chairwoman Pansy Ho Chiu-king says Macau's needs to evolve from being China's only gambling enclave to the nation’s leisure and tourism hub.
Macau's wheel of fortune turns
Macau's total gaming revenue rose 12 percent in June from a year ago, following paltry 7 percent growth in May. That is a far cry from the blistering pace of expansion that fuelled a seven-fold increase in gross gaming revenue between 2004, the year the first foreign-owned casino opened in the city, and 2011, when casinos made USD34 billion in revenue.
Macau's gambling junkets risk losing their game
The shadowy companies that bring China's millionaires to the gambling tables of Macau are facing their toughest time since the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers, and some of the smaller players may soon drop out of the game for good.
These junket operators, who extend credit to rich gamblers and then collect any debts in exchange for a hefty commission, bring in about 70 percent of gambling revenue in Macau, the world's most profitable gaming destination. They accounted for USD22 billion in revenues last year when business was booming.
