Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (October 30) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,186.7 billion as at September 30, 2020, HK$26.0 billion higher than that at the end of August 2020. Foreign currency assets increased by HK$37.9 billion while Hong Kong dollar assets decreased by HK$11.9 billion.
 
     The rise in foreign currency assets was mainly due to the increase of Monetary Base, which was partly offset by the reduction in Fiscal Reserves placements and the mark-to-market revaluation on foreign currency investments. 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 2020 was HK$1,896.4 billion, increased by HK$77.6 billion, or 4.3 per cent, from the end of August 2020. The rise was mainly due to the sale of HK dollars under the Currency Board arrangements and the issuance of Certificates of Indebtedness.
 
     The amount of Backing Assets increased by HK$77.6 billion, or 3.8 per cent, to HK$2,102.0 billion. The increase was mainly attributable to the purchase of US dollars under the Currency Board arrangements and the issuance of Certificates of Indebtedness. The backing ratio decreased from 111.31 per cent at the end of August 2020 to 110.84 per cent at the end of September 2020.
 
****************************************************************
 
     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 2020, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows: