Reserves
Malaysia's reserves rise in first half of April
Bank Negara Malaysia said on Friday 22 April that its international reserves rose to RM276.7 billion (US$72.8 billion) as at 15 April 2005.
Dilemma facing Southeast Asia's central banks
This article published on Thursday 21 April looks at the situation of Asian central banks. A cocktail of rising inflation, slower economic growth and "an aggressive" Federal Reserve is forcing local central banks to raise interest rates when their…
MOF's Asakawa says Japan won't diversify reserves
According to Japanese Ministry of Finance official Masatsugu Asakawa, Japan doesn't plan to change the percentage of US dollars in its $838 billion official reserve assets, the world's largest.
IMF gold deal unlikely says Germany
German Deputy Finance Minister Caio Koch-Weser has said he sees almost no chance a plan to sell International Monetary Fund gold to fund debt relief for the world's poorest nations would be adopted.
SARB holds 70% dollar-denominated reserves
South Africa's central bank holds 70 per cent of its foreign exchange reserves in dollars, the bank's financial markets head Daniel Mminele was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
Bank of France reduces gold holding
Bank of France Governor Christian Noyer said in an interview that he has "no special plan to modify the composition" of the central bank's foreign-exchange reserves this year as the bank offloads gold to buy currencies.
No plan to diversify Korea reserves 'for now'
South Korea has no intention of diversifying its rising foreign reserves, as such a move could further strengthen the Korean currency against the US dollar, the Bank of Korea's chief was quoted as saying on Sunday.
Bank Negara reports fall in reserves
Bank Negara Malaysia's international reserves fell to RM275.17 billion (US$72.41 billion) at the end of March, the first decline in many months.
History explains Indian comfort with reserve surge
This article says the trauma of the 1991 crisis, triggered by the drying up of capital flows and withdrawals by non-resident Indians, goes along way to explain why India is comfortable increasing its stockpile of reserves. "There's no faith in the…
World Bank warns poor countries on dollar reserves
The World Bank warned the central banks of developing nations on Wednesday 6 April that a sudden decline in the dollar could prove costly for them if global interest rates rise.
Kudrin says Russia should keep $100bn reserves
Russia should maintain at least U.S. $100 billion in foreign exchange and gold reserves, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, Monday 4 April.
ECB reveals gold sales; no more planned before Sep
The European Central Bank has completed a programme of gold sales amounting to 47 tons of gold, it said on Thursday 31 March.
Gold sale plan would not hit market says IMF
Part of the International Monetary Fund's gold reserves could be sold to pay for its share of debt relief to poor countries without destabilising the market, according to Rodrigo Rato.
Malaysia says reserves well-diversified
Malaysia's international reserves are well-balanced and not excessive in US dollar holdings, Bernama news agency reported, quoting Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Deputy Governor Ooi Sang Kuang.
IMF will announce gold sale plan in April - report
The International Monetary Fund plans to make proposals in April regarding selling or re-valuing some of its gold reserves, a German press report said on Tuesday 29 March.
Are Korea's rising foreign reserves bane or boon?
Korea's massive foreign reserves have sparked debate on the optimum level of reserves and the management of the currency supply. But according to this article, 'Are rising foreign reserves bane or boon?', the key question is not what level the central…
Bank of Korea not to alter dollar reserves- report
The Bank of Korea does not intend to alter the proportion of its foreign exchange reserves denominated in US dollars, although it will seek to maximise profit from its forex holdings by investing in a broader range of assets, the Wall Street Journal…
How foreign reserves could make China yet stronger
This article says China's burgeoning foreign exchange reserves could provide an ideal remedy if the country's financial system is too fragile to sustain high growth levels in the long term. Up to $500 billion could be put into a social reconstruction…
Danish central bank posts net fall in profit
Danmarks Nationalbank, the central bank, posted a net profit of 2.844 bln dkr for the full-year ending Dec 31, 2004, down from 3.609 bln dkr a year earlier.
India discussing foreign reserve diversification
Reserve Bank of India governor Yaga Venugopal Reddy told reporters on Friday that diversification of the central bank's reserves was being discussed.
Asian central banks' dilemma
Diversification away from dollar denominated foreign exchange reserves is a natural reaction for Asian central banks, this article says. But because of the size of their holdings, any sudden move to sell a substantial part of these holdings could cause a…
Koizumi: Japan must consider diversifying reserves
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said on Thursday 11 March that his country "in general" needs to consider diversifying its foreign currency reserves, the world's largest.
Russia's reserves hit record high
Russian central bank reserves in gold and foreign currency holdings soared to a record 134.15 bln usd in January-February 2005, up 7.7 pct, ITAR-TASS news agency quoted the bank as saying.
Ex-Fed's Wyss says Asia should diversify reserves
Asian central banks need to diversify their foreign reserves but in doing so, they should allow the local currencies to appreciate against the dollar, a former US presidential economic adviser and Federal Reserve governor said on Thursday 3 March.