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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (January 30) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$3,030.0 billion as at December 31, 2013, HK$80.0 billion higher than that at the end of November 2013. Foreign currency assets increased by HK$34.3 billion and Hong Kong dollar assets increased by HK$45.7 billion.
The rise in foreign currency assets was mainly due to an increase in unsettled purchases of securities and an increase in assets connected with the issuance of additional Certificates of Indebtedness. The rise in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to an increase in Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued but not yet settled and placements received from Fiscal Reserves.
The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of December 2013 was HK$1,255.9 billion, increased by HK$10.4 billion, or 0.8%, from the end of November 2013. The rise was due to an increase in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness, which reflected the seasonal demand for banknotes around Christmas and New Year.
The amount of Backing Assets increased by HK$8.6 billion, or 0.6%, to HK$1,348.9 billion. The rise was attributable to an increase in assets connected with the issuance of additional Certificates of Indebtedness, which was partly offset by revaluation losses. The backing ratio decreased from 107.61% at the end of November 2013 to 107.41% at the end of December 2013.
The figures in the Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and the Currency Board Account are unaudited. The audit of the Exchange Fund's annual financial statements by the Director of Audit is in progress.
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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 January 2014, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
January 7 (Issued)
SDDS International Reserves
(Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures)
January 14(Issued)
SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund)
January 30
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account
January 30
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity
Ends/Thursday, January 30, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:30
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