The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (October 31) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$3,967.6 billion as at September 30, 2022, HK$156.6 billion lower than that at the end of August 2022. Foreign currency assets decreased by HK$136.0 billion and Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$20.6 billion.
      
     The decline in foreign currency assets was mainly due to the mark-to-market revaluation on investments and the reduction in the month-end balances of unsettled purchase of securities. The decline in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to the mark-to-market revaluation on Hong Kong equities. 
      
     The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of September 2022 was HK$1,931.6 billion, increased by HK$1.2 billion, or 0.1 per cent, from the end of August 2022. The rise was mainly due to an increase in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness.
      
     The amount of Backing Assets decreased by HK$9.6 billion, or 0.4 per cent, to HK$2,128.9 billion. The decrease was mainly attributable to the mark-to-market revaluation on investments. The backing ratio decreased from 110.78 per cent at the end of August 2022 to 110.21 per cent at the end of September 2022.
 
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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 October 2022, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

October 7  (Issued)	SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)
October 14 (Issued)	SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)
October 31	SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
October 31	Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account

Ends/Monday, October 31, 2022
Issued at HKT 16:30

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