Reserves
Government funds at T&T central bank nearly exhausted
Trinidad and Tobago governor warns government has used 99.7% of its overdraft; finance minister blames former administration for depleted funds
IMF tells Bahamas central bank to reduce government bond holdings
Central bank increased holdings after Hurricane Matthew negatively impacted growth last year; levels of reserves remain stable, fund says
Iraq suspends dollar payments to some Kurdish banks
Future of agreement on oil revenues unclear as country faces significant economic problems
Costa Rican central bank gets $1bn to shore up exchange rate
Regional fund offers credit line as central bank aims to boost reserves and relieve pressure on exchange rate; central bank plans a move towards inflation targeting
Perng Fai-nan on how Taiwan has eluded crisis for 20 years
Taiwan’s governor explains how pragmatic interventions have engendered two decades of financial stability, despite the island’s status as a small, open economy
Diversifying reserves carries major risks, warns Taiwan governor
Perng Fai-nan points to the records of Norway and Singapore’s SWFs as a warning about diversification risks; blames SWF outsourcing to asset managers for exacerbating EM volatility
Jamaica’s central bank implements next step in forex overhaul
Conducting auctions at new rate will improve transparency and efficiency of forex market, central bank says, hoping it will stem speculation and volatility
HKMA pledges $1bn to IFC infrastructure platform
HKMA commits $1 billion of its Exchange Fund to International Finance Corporation’s syndicated loan platform to invest in infrastructure projects
MAS’s Chia points to the value of EM bonds
Singapore’s reserves and markets chief says interest in onshore Chinese bonds may act as a catalyst for emerging market bonds at a time when the outlook for yields from traditional reserve assets remains low
Renminbi ‘crucial’ for reserve managers – Isabelle Strauss-Kahn
Central banks must consider how Chinese currency fits into reserves - World Bank expert
HKMA eyes infrastructure investments in Belt and Road initiative
Hong Kong’s central bank plans to invest reserves to help meet Asia's $1.7 trillion annual infrastructure needs, focusing on countries engaged in China’s Belt and Road initiative
PBoC dials back on forex controls
Renminbi ends 11-day rise after the central bank relaxes reserve requirements; analysts view move as attempt to end one-way trading
Norway’s oil fund recommends bond portfolio shake-up
NBIM managers recommend cutting riskier investments from bond benchmark index to improve flexibility and alignment with its goals
Future Fund takes cautious stance despite strong returns
Australian sovereign wealth fund exceeds benchmark return but managers stress need for “discipline” amid reach for yield
Bundesbank moves 20% of gold reserves back to Germany
Bundesbank no longer stores gold in Paris
Indonesia considers new riskier tranche for reserves – Budianto
Head of reserves says political risks are more of a worry than portfolio flows; explains how Bank Indonesia’s strategy reinforces market development in 30-minute interview
Record-high FX reserves prompt new questions for SNB
Reserves reach $734 billion as Swiss franc depreciates against euro
IMF issues advice on Botswana’s sovereign fund
Rules should govern withdrawals from government’s account, IMF says
BoE working paper examines ‘exorbitant privilege’ benefits
Economist analyses whether the UK enjoyed the same benefits as the US when it was the pre-eminent issuer of a global reserve currency; findings show fundamental differences between the two in terms of investment patterns
How to divest public sector assets
Exit programmes for public sector assets could create uncertainty through supply/demand imbalance, but a tap facility – a private sector triggered exit programme – could be the solution, writes Hon Cheung, chief investment strategist, official…
Sri Lanka issues first t-bonds under new transparent framework
Both maturities offered were oversubscribed in phase one, says central bank
HKMA’s investment team “on guard” for turbulence later in the year
HKMA deputy chief executive warns of an undercurrent of market uncertainties in the second half of the year, after fund made record returns in the first half