PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - Nov 21

HONG KONG, Nov 21 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES

-- Rental rates in Hong Kong have dropped 8 to 12 percent over the past three months. Real estate agencies said more and more tenants were asking their landlords for rent reductions.

-- More lenders are now offering higher mortgage rates, adding a quarter percent to the rate on new loans.

APPLE DAILY

-- Retailers are using discounts and gimmicks to lure customers amid an economic downturn. They will meet legislators to discuss how to boost consumer spending.

-- DHL said its DHL Express service had decided to move its Hong Kong customer service back office to Guangzhou. Forty-nine jobs will be affected; these employees can relocate or receive a dismissal package.

MING PAO DAILY NEWS

-- HKEx (0388.HK) will freeze pay next year, according to a source close to the stock market operator. Some workers will be awarded an annual bonus that equals three to four months' salary and those whose monthly salary is below HK$30,000 could get an extra bonus of a half month's pay.

-- Forty percent of workers are worried about losing their job, according to a survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- Retail rents in Hong Kong have overtaken those of Moscow, making the city the second most expensive in the world for shopowners, according to the latest global retail rents survey.

SING PAO

-- Thousands of shoppers flocked to a department store offering huge discounts on household items. At least 3,000 customers were in line outside the store, waiting for the door to open. The shop expects 20 percent higher turnover from this event compared with sales last year.

WEN WEI PO

-- Hong Kong Ferry under tycoon Li Shau-kee's Henderson group suffered HK$410 million losses in its ELN investment. The market fears his other companies may have similar investment losses and they face sell-off pressure.

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