Almost all surveyed service industries recorded a year-on-year surge in their business receipts in this year's third quarter, with the financing (except banking) and business services industries rising 25.8% and 22.9%, the Census & Statistics Department says.

The rise in business receipts of the financing (except banking) industry was mainly fuelled by the buoyant local stock market, while that of the business services industry was mainly attributable to the growth in information technology related services.

Other service industries that saw more notable increases in business receipts included hotels (up 14.4%), insurance (14.2%), banking (11.5%), and import and export trade (10.8%).

Analysed by service domain, business receipts of the computer and information services domain went up 21.1%. Business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain also grew 11.6%, mainly attributable to the growth in inbound tourism. 

Comparing this year's third quarter with the second, business receipts of most service industries swelled. Larger increases were observed in the import and export trade (up 12.5%), transport (10.5%) and storage (9.7%) industries. 

More details about the survey are available in Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, Third Quarter 2006, which can be downloaded free of charge at www.statisticalbookstore.gov.hk.