Table:
|  | Unaudited |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
|  | Three months ended |  |
|  | 31 December | 31 December |
|  | 2019 | 2018 |
|  | (RMB in millions) |  |
| Revenues | 105,767 | 84,896 |
| Cost of revenues | (59,659) | (49,744) |
| Gross profit | 46,108 | 35,152 |
| Interest income | 1,580 | 1,350 |
| Other gains/(losses), net | 3,630 | (2,139) |
| Selling and marketing expenses | (6,712) | (5,730) |
| General and administrative expenses | (16,002) | (11,345) |
| Operating profit | 28,604 | 17,288 |
| Finance costs, net | (2,767) | (1,372) |
| Share of (loss)/profit of associates and joint ventures | (1,328) | 16 |
| Profit before income tax | 24,509 | 15,932 |
| Income tax expense | (2,137) | (1,906) |
| Profit for the period | 22,372 | 14,026 |
| Attributable to: |  |  |
| Equity holders of the Company | 21,582 | 14,229 |
| Non-controlling interests | 790 | (203) |
|  | 22,372 | 14,026 |
| Non-IFRS profit attributable to equity holders of the Company | 25,484 | 19,730 |
Paragraphs:
Other gains, net. We recorded net other gains of RMB3,630 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, which mainly comprised of non-IFRS adjustment items such as fair value gains due to increases in valuations of certain investee companies in verticals such as social media and FinTech services.
Selling and marketing expenses. Selling and marketing expenses increased by 17% to RMB6,712 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 on a year-on-year basis. The increase was mainly driven by greater marketing spending on services and products such as FinTech and cloud services, smart phone games and digital content services, including expenses attributable to Supercell. As a percentage of revenues, selling and marketing expenses decreased to 6% for the fourth quarter of 2019 from 7% for the fourth quarter of 2018.
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by 41% to RMB16,002 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 on a year-on-year basis. The increase was mainly due to greater R&D expenses and staff costs, including expenses attributable to Supercell. As a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses increased to 15% for the fourth quarter of 2019 from 13% for the fourth quarter of 2018.
Finance costs, net. Net finance costs increased by 102% to RMB2,767 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 on a year-on-year basis. The increase was primarily driven by greater interest expenses as a result of higher amount of indebtedness.
Share of (loss)/profit of associates and joint ventures. We recorded share of losses of associates and joint ventures of RMB1,328 million for the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to share of profit of RMB16 million for the fourth quarter of 2018. The change was mainly due to share of losses arising from non-cash fair value changes of investment portfolios booked by certain associates in the fourth quarter of 2019, compared to share of profit recorded in the same quarter last year.
Income tax expense. Income tax expense increased by 12% to RMB2,137 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 on a year-on-year basis.
Profit attributable to equity holders of the Company. Profit attributable to equity holders of the Company increased by 52% to RMB21,582 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 on a year-on-year basis. Non-IFRS profit attributable to equity holders of the Company increased by 29% to RMB25,484 million for the fourth quarter of 2019.
FOURTH QUARTER OF 2019 COMPARED TO FOURTH QUARTER OF 2018
The following table sets forth the comparative figures for the fourth quarter of 2019 and the fourth quarter of 2018:
Question:
What was the reason for the increase in General and administrative expenses?