Reserves
BIS survey points to turnaround in global forex volumes
Latest survey suggests more than a decade of growth may have come to an end, as data points to a restructuring away from spot trades towards derivatives
Capital outflows look manageable as Iceland moves to lift controls – central bank
A “stress test” of potential outflows implies the Icelandic financial system and central bank reserves will cope when capital controls are lifted; the government bill prepares to release funds
China to create own version of FX code
A newly established Chinese FX Committee is working on creating a Chinese version of the Global Code of Conduct, for domestic and foreign banks operating in the onshore market
PBoC gives World Bank green light as China’s first SDR bond issuer
World Bank to issue China’s first bond denominated in special drawing rights, in “landmark” step towards opening up Chinese bond market
Singapore’s GIC warns of lower returns in coming years
High valuation of asset prices and modest growth outlook points to lower returns in coming decade or two, GIC says; 20-year annualised real rate of return fell last fiscal year
IMF changes method for calculating SDR currency amounts
IMF will switch to new SDR basket in October, including renminbi for the first time; calculation will use new rounding methodology aimed at minimising deviation from weightings
Indian reserves climb to $360.2bn at end-March
Reserve Bank of India’s latest report on reserve management shows 2.8% increase over six months; two-thirds of foreign currency assets invested in securities
Bangladesh has more FX reserves than it needs, chief economist says
Biru Paksha Paul says Bangladesh only needs enough reserve to cover six months’ worth of imports, and it has now exceeded that; sees benefits from low fuel prices in recent years
A year of progress for Chinese reforms, but there is much still to do
Pan Gongsheng, deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, writes about China’s growth prospects, RMB exchange rate reform and the past years’ stock market fluctuations
DMO will not change course after Brexit vote
Head of the UK Debt Management Office stresses principles of predictability and transparency ahead of gilt auctions next week; market reaction to S&P’s downgrade was “extremely muted”
Brexit wrong-foots some reserve managers
The sharp sell-off of UK assets following its decision to leave the European Union will create buying opportunities for others
Discontinuation of Libor would result in ‘significant systemic risk’, Powell says
Fed’s Powell discusses future of Libor; discontinuing the benchmark rate could entail “substantial losses”, he says
Renminbi investments to be included in Singapore reserves
Monetary Authority of Singapore says its investments in the Chinese currency will be included in official reserves “from June 2016 onwards”, now it is easier to repatriate funds
Steps still needed for renminbi to become reserve currency – BIS head of banking
BIS’s Zöllner considers whether renminbi will become reserve currency; continued modernisation of market infrastructure needed, he says
Nigerian central bank announces forex liberalisation
Nigeria’s central bank unveiled plans to make up to $2.5 billion available to the country’s non-oil exporters; currency will float from June 20
The renminbi and the international monetary system
Zhou Yueqiu, director of the Urban Finance Research Institute of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, offers some perspectives on the future role for the renminbi post-SDR inclusion
Co-ordinating China’s domestic and international efforts
As China becomes an increasingly significant player on the international stage it can no longer be insular in its policies, writes deputy governor of the People's Bank of China, Yi Gang
Reform facilitated by the renminbi’s inclusion in the SDR basket
Ba Shusong, IFF Academic Committee member and chief China economist of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong examines the significance of the renminbi’s SDR inclusion
Chile expands dollar holdings, central bank annual report shows
Central Bank of Chile reserve allocations in euro, Canadian dollar and Australian dollar fall, as dollar holdings rise
Divergent monetary policies are top concern for reserve managers in 2016
Reserve managers view divergent monetary policies among the world’s top central banks as the most pressing challenge they face in 2016; asset and currency diversification continues
More ‘flexible’ Nigerian exchange rate regime met with cautious optimism
Central bank announces intention to move to more flexible regime, though exact parameters not yet announced; analysts seem hopeful about the move but lack of details is worrying
Optimising official reserve portfolios
Bank reserve managers require a modern, flexible approach to achieving the investment trinity of safety, liquidity and return. This strategy is typified by BlackRock’s model multi-asset portfolios, which use indexes as building blocks, maintain high…
‘Challenging' year spurs diversification of Hong Kong's exchange fund
HKMA says it is accelerating its process of reserves diversification after it was hit by a "triple whammy" in all major asset classes in 2015
Italian paper looks at ECB’s reserve management
Bank of Italy working paper studies the management of the ECB’s foreign exchange reserves; diversity of managers’ investment styles may positively affect risk-adjusted returns, authors say