The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (Monday) that the total assets of the Exchange Fund amounted to HK$4,538.4 billion as at 30 April 2021, HK$2.7 billion higher than that at the end of March 2021. Hong Kong dollar assets increased by HK$3.0 billion while foreign currency assets decreased by HK$0.3 billion.
The rise in Hong Kong dollar assets was mainly due to the mark-to-market revaluation on Hong Kong equities. The decline in foreign currency assets was mainly due to a decrease in the month-end balances of unsettled purchase of securities and reduction in Fiscal Reserves placements, which were partly offset by the mark-to-market revaluation on foreign currency investments.
The Currency Board Account shows that the Monetary Base at the end of April 2021 was HK$2,111.7 billion, increased by HK$3.8 billion, or 0.2%, from the end of March 2021. The rise was mainly due to an increase in the outstanding amount of Certificates of Indebtedness.
The amount of Backing Assets increased by HK$2.7 billion, or 0.1%, to HK$2,322.7 billion. The increase was mainly attributable to the issuance of Certificates of Indebtedness, which was partly offset by the translation effect of foreign currency investments into Hong Kong dollar. The backing ratio decreased from 110.06% at the end of March 2021 to 109.99% at the end of April 2021.
Annex 1: Abridged Balance Sheet of the Exchange Fund
Annex 2: Currency Board Account
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
31 May 2021
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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 May 2021, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
7 May |
SDDS International Reserves |
14 May |
SDDS Analytical Accounts of the Central Bank (Analytical Accounts of the Exchange Fund) |
31 May |
SDDS Template on International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity |
31 May |
Exchange Fund Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account |