Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account
***************************************************************
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (November 29) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,188.0 billion as at October 31, 2019, HK$41.0 billion lower than that at the end of September 2019. Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$69.9 billion while foreign currency assets increased by HK$28.9 billion.
The decline in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to a decrease in Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued but not yet settled. The rise in foreign currency assets was mainly due to an increase in unsettled purchases of securities and income from foreign currency investments.
The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of October 2019 was HK$1,646.3 billion, increased by HK$1.7 billion, or 0.1 per cent, from the end of September 2019. The rise was mainly due to amortisation of discount on Exchange Fund Bills and Notes.
The amount of Backing Assets increased by HK$4.0 billion, or 0.2 per cent, to HK$1,842.5 billion. The increase was mainly attributable to interest from investments. The backing ratio increased from 111.80 per cent at the end of September 2019 to 111.92 per cent at the end of October 2019.
*****************************************************************
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 2019, 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 29 |
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity |
| November 29 |
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account |
Ends/Friday, November 29, 2019
Issued at HKT 16:30
Issued at HKT 16:30
NNNN