The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (February 28) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,194.0 billion as at January 31, 2020, HK$65.1 billion lower than that at the end of December 2019. Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$46.9 billion and foreign currency assets decreased by HK$18.2 billion.
The decline in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to a reduction in Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued but not yet settled and a decrease in bank borrowings, which were partly offset by additional placements from Fiscal Reserves. The decline in foreign currency assets was mainly due to a reduction in unsettled purchases of securities, which was partly offset by the issuance of Certificates of Indebtedness.
The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of January 2020 was HK$1,688.7 billion, increased by HK$26.3 billion, or 1.6 per cent, from the end of December 2019. The rise was mainly due to an increase in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness, which reflected the seasonal demand for banknotes around Lunar New Year.
The amount of Backing Assets increased by HK$25.1 billion, or 1.4 per cent, to HK$1,873.7 billion. The increase was mainly attributable to the issuance of Certificates of Indebtedness. The backing ratio decreased from 111.21 per cent at the end of December 2019 to 110.96 per cent at the end of January 2020.
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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 February 2020, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
| February 7 (Issued) |
SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures) |
| February 14 (Issued) |
SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund) |
| February 28 |
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity |
| February 28 |
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account |
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