In other words, if corporate behavior becomes more active, it could cause the outlook for economic activity and prices, which I have just explained, to deviate upward. One might wonder why firms continue to be cautious even in a situation of continued economic recovery with improved profitability. I will present some possible explanations for their cautious behavior.
According to initial statistics available: as at the end of December 2012, total assets of the banking system stood at MOP796.2 billion, a year-onyear increase of 21%; total deposits amounted to MOP554.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 32.7%; total loans outstanding were valued at MOP407 billion, a year-on-year increase of 26.2%.