Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account
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The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (November 30) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$3,955.0 billion as at October 31, 2018, HK$77.6 billion lower than that at the end of September 2018. Foreign currency assets decreased by HK$44.5 billion and Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$33.1 billion.
The decline in foreign currency assets was mainly due to mark-to-market reduction in value of foreign currency portfolios. The decline in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to the fall in market value of Hong Kong equities and a reduction in overnight liquidity provided under the Discount Window.
The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of October 2018 was HK$1,615.1 billion, decreased by HK$4.6 billion, or 0.3 per cent, from the end of September 2018. The decline was mainly due to the decrease in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness.
The amount of Backing Assets decreased by HK$0.8 billion, or 0.05 per cent, to HK$1,768.7 billion. The decrease was mainly attributable to the redemption of Certificates of Indebtedness, which was partly offset by revaluation gains and interest from investments. The backing ratio increased from 109.25 per cent at the end of September 2018 to 109.51 per cent at the end of October 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 November 2018, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
| November 7 (Issued) |
SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures) |
| November 14 (Issued) |
SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund) |
| November 30 |
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity |
| November 30 |
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account |
Ends/Friday, November 30, 2018
Issued at HKT 16:30
Issued at HKT 16:30
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