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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (March 7) that the official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong amounted to US$359.9 billion as at the end of February 2016 (end-January 2016: US$357.0 billion) (Annex).
Including unsettled foreign exchange contracts, the foreign currency reserves assets of Hong Kong at the end of February 2016 stood at US$359.3 billion (end-January 2016: US$357.0 billion).
The total foreign currency reserve assets of US$359.9 billion represent over seven times the currency in circulation or about 49% of Hong Kong dollar M3.
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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 March 2016, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
March 7
SDDS International Reserves
(Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)
March 14
SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank
(Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)
March 31
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
March 31
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account
Ends/Monday, March 7, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:30
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