Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account
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The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (April 30) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,150.1 billion as at March 31, 2018, HK$40.1 billion lower than that at the end of February 2018. Foreign currency assets decreased by HK$21.8 billion and Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$18.3 billion.
The decline in foreign currency assets was mainly due to the decrease in unsettled purchases of securities, which was partly offset by the issuance of Certificates of Indebtedness and mark-to-market gains on foreign currency portfolios. The decline in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to withdrawals of placements by Fiscal Reserves.
The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of March 2018 was HK$1,729.5 billion, increased by HK$12.0 billion, or 0.7%, from the end of February 2018. The rise was mainly due to the increase in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness.
The amount of Backing Assets increased by HK$20.6 billion, or 1.1%, to HK$1,875.1 billion. The increase was mainly attributable to the issuance of Certificates of Indebtedness, revaluation gains and income from investments. The backing ratio increased from 107.98% at the end of February 2018 to 108.42% at the end of March 2018.
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At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA 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 April 2018, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
| April 9 (Issued) |
SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures) |
| April 13 (Issued) |
SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund) |
| April 30 |
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity |
| April 30 |
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account |
Ends/Monday, April 30, 2018
Issued at HKT 16:30
Issued at HKT 16:30
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