Foreign currency assets at US$90.1b
Hong Kong's foreign currency assets stood at US$90.1 billion at the end of January, an increase of $500 million from the $89.6 billion recorded at the end of December, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said yesterday.
The increase was mainly due to a rise in the investment return on foreign assets, the authority said.
Hong Kong is the world's fourth-largest holder of foreign currency reserves after Japan, China and Taiwan.
The SAR lost its place in the top three to Taiwan at the end of December, according to HKMA figures.
Japan's foreign currency reserves totalled $222.2 billion at the end of last year while the mainland held $145 billion and Taiwan $91.9 billion.
Last week the HKMA said it would publish data on foreign currency assets and on the balance sheet of the Exchange Fund on a monthly basis, starting with this month as the reference month.
The disclosure initiative is aimed at providing the public with more relevant, frequent and timely indicators of monetary conditions in Hong Kong.
