The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (Tuesday) that the official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong amounted to US$127.8 billion at the end of January 2006 (end-December 2005: US$124.3 billion) (Table 1).
Including unsettled forward contracts, the foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong at the end of January 2006 also stood at US$127.8 billion (end-December 2005: US$124.3 billion).
Hong Kong is the world's seventh largest holder of foreign currency reserves, after Japan, Mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Russia and India (Table 2).
The total foreign currency reserve assets of US$127.8 billion represent about six times the currency in circulation or 42% of Hong Kong dollar M3.
For further enquiries, please contact:
Jasmin Fung, Manager (Press), at 2878 8246 or
Hing-Fung Wong, Resource Co-ordinator, at 2878 1802
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
7 February 2006
At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with the International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of February 2006, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
7 February | SDDS International Reserves (Hong Kong's Latest Foreign Currency Reserve Assets Figures) |
14 February | SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Exchange Fund Balance Sheet Data) |
24 February | Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account |
28 February | SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity |
Foreign Currency Reserve Assets of Hong Kong
(US$ billion)
Excluding Unsettled FX Contracts |
Unsettled FX Contracts |
Including Unsettled FX Contracts |
|
Dec 95 | 55.4 | 1.8 | 57.2 |
Dec 96 | 63.8 | 5.7 | 69.6 |
Dec 97 | 92.8 | 0.4 | 93.2 |
Dec 98 | 89.6 | - | 89.6 |
Dec 99 | 96.3 | - | 96.3 |
Dec 00 | 107.5 | - | 107.5 |
Dec 01 | 111.2 | - | 111.2 |
Dec 02 | 111.9 | - | 111.9 |
Dec 03 | 118.4 | 0.5 | 118.9 |
Dec 04 | 123.6 | - | 123.6 |
Jan 05 | 124.7 | (0.5) | 124.2 |
Feb 05 | 123.9 | - | 123.9 |
Mar 05 | 122.4 | - | 122.4 |
Apr 05 | 122.6 | - | 122.6 |
May 05 | 122.4 | - | 122.4 |
Jun 05 | 122.0 | - | 122.0 |
Jul 05 | 121.9 | - | 121.9 |
Aug 05 | 122.3 | - | 122.3 |
Sep 05 | 122.8 | - | 122.8 |
Oct 05 | 121.9 | - | 121.9 |
Nov 05 | 122.4 | - | 122.4 |
Dec 05 | 124.3 | - | 124.3 |
Jan 06* | 127.8 | - | 127.8 |
Figures for the end of 1995 and 1996 do not include Land Fund figures. The Land Fund was established on 1 July 1997 and its foreign currency reserve assets were included thereafter in the above compilation. The assets of the Land Fund were merged into the Exchange Fund in November 1998.
* The latest monthly figures are preliminary and subject to change.
Official Reserves Ranking
US$ billion | At end of | ||
(1) | Japan | 851.7 | Jan 2006 |
(2) | Mainland China | 818.9 | Dec 2005 |
(3) | Taiwan | 257.3 | Jan 2006 |
(4) | Korea | 216.9 | Jan 2006 |
(5) | Russia | 188.2 | 27 Jan 2006 |
(6) | India | 139.5 | 27 Jan 2006 |
(7) | Hong Kong | 127.8 | Jan 2006 |
(8) | Singapore | 116.6 | Dec 2005 |
(9) | Germany | 101.7 | Dec 2005 |
(10) | France | 74.4 | Dec 2005 |
Sources : HKMA, Reuters, the websites of International Monetary Fund, other central banks and monetary authorities, etc.