International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
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    The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) released today (March 31) analytical data on the Hong Kong SAR's foreign currency reserves and foreign currency liquidity at the end of February 2006 (Annex).  These data are published monthly in the Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard.

For further enquiries, please contact:
Kevin Ip, Manager (Press), at 2878 1687 or
Thomas Chan, Senior Manager (Press), at 2878 1480

Hong Kong Monetary Authority 31 March 2006
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      At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued each month.  Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS).  The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency.  For the month of March 2006, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:

7 March        SDDS International Reserves
(Issued)       (Hong Kong﷿s Latest Foreign
               Currency Reserve Assets Figures)

14 March       SDDS Analytical Accounts of the
(Issued)       Central Bank (Exchange Fund Balance
               Sheet Data)

31 March       Exchange Fund Abridged Balance
               Sheet and Currency Board Account

31 March       SDDS Template on International
               Reserves and Foreign Currency
               Liquidity

Ends/Friday, March 31, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:32

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