Dismal Retail Figures for Hong Kong Expected

Hong Kong’s retail sales for March, due out Tuesday, are expected to be at the lowest point in five years as consumers shunned stores and restaurants after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in the middle of the month.

Spending may drop even more sharply in the second quarter, economists said.

Even before the spread of SARS, domestic spending was in decline as near-record unemployment has eroded consumer confidence.