Tentative issuance schedule for Exchange Fund Bills and Notes

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued today (Thursday) a tentative issuance schedule for Exchange Fund Bills and Notes (EFBN) for the coming quarter of October to December 2002. The schedule contains information on the tentative tender dates, tender sizes and issue dates of individual issues.

The quarterly schedule is issued in the second month of each quarter (i.e. February, May, August and November), covering the EFBN tenders in the following quarter.

Commencing the fourth quarter of 2002, the HKMA will roll over all 3-year Exchange Fund Notes (EFN) through the reopening of 5-year EFN with remaining maturity of 38 months. Successful bidders of a reopened issue have to pay to the HKMA the respective bid price plus an amount equal to the interest accrued from the last coupon payment date to the allotment date of the reopened issue.

It should be noted that the tender dates, tender sizes and issue dates projected in the advance issuance schedule are tentative. The details of new issues are to be confirmed and announced one week prior to the respective tender dates. The HKMA may make changes in the light of prevailing market conditions.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Sylvia Yip, Manager (Press), at 2878 1687 or
Thomas Chan, Senior Manager (Press), at 2878 1480

Hong Kong Monetary Authority
15 August 2002