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The currency composition of foreign exchange reserves

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  • Hiro Ito
  • Robert N McCauley

Abstract

This paper analyses the factors that govern the choice of the currency composition of official foreign exchange reserves. First, we introduce a new panel dataset on the key currencies in foreign exchange reserves of about 60 economies in the 1999-2017 period. Second, we show that the currency composition of reserves relates strongly to the co-movement of the domestic currency with key currencies and the currency invoicing of trade. These factors represent attributes of the dollar or the euro rather than of the United States or the euro area. They exert about equal effects on the currency composition of foreign exchange reserves. We demonstrate that these findings are robust to a host of other possible factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiro Ito & Robert N McCauley, 2019. "The currency composition of foreign exchange reserves," BIS Working Papers 828, Bank for International Settlements.
    • Handle: RePEc:bis:biswps:828
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    3. Robert N. McCauley, 2020. "The Global Domain of the Dollar: Eight Questions," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 48(4), pages 421-429, December.
    4. Pineda Albarrán, José Rafael, 2024. "Accumulation of International Reserves in Latin America: The Mexican Case," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 77(1), pages 63-90.
    5. Laser, Falk Hendrik & Weidner, Jan, 2020. "Currency compositions of international reserves and the euro crisis," Darmstadt Discussion Papers in Economics 238, Darmstadt University of Technology, Department of Law and Economics.
    6. Alan de Bromhead & David Jordan & Francis Kennedy & Jack Seddon, 2023. "Sterling's farewell symphony: The end of the Sterling Area revisited," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 76(2), pages 415-444, May.
    7. Mateane, Lebogang, 2020. "Risk preferences, global market conditions and foreign debt: Is there any role for the currency composition of FX reserves?," EconStor Preprints 227484, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    8. Mateane, Lebogang, 2023. "Risk preferences, global market conditions and foreign debt: Is there any role for the currency composition of FX reserves?," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 402-418.
    9. Peter E. Ayunku & Dumani Markjackson, 2020. "Impact of External Debt on Nigeria’s Foreign Reserve Portfolios," Asian Journal of Economics and Empirical Research, Asian Online Journal Publishing Group, vol. 7(1), pages 1-7.
    10. Arslanalp, Serkan & Eichengreen, Barry & Simpson-Bell, Chima, 2022. "The stealth erosion of dollar dominance and the rise of nontraditional reserve currencies," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    11. Dibooglu, Sel & Kapounek, Svatopluk, 2021. "The US current account, sustainability, and the international monetary system," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 45(4).
    12. Eichengreen, Barry & Macaire, Camille & Mehl, Arnaud & Monnet, Eric & Naef, Alain, 2022. "Is Capital Account Convertibility Required for the Renminbi to Acquire Reserve Currency Status?," CEPR Discussion Papers 17498, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    13. Aizenman, Joshua & Ito, Hiro & Pasricha, Gurnain Kaur, 2022. "Central bank swap arrangements in the COVID-19 crisis," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    14. Lu, Dong & Mu, Yuhao, 2023. "A parsimonious model of trade, finance and endogenous currency choices in international reserves," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    15. Lawrence L. Kreicher & Robert N. McCauley, 2021. "Managing the Dollar Over Its Cycles," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 49(2), pages 143-158, June.
    16. ITO Hiroyuki & KAWAI Masahiro, 2021. "The Global Monetary System and the Use of Local Currencies in ASEAN+3," Discussion papers 21019, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    17. Berthou Antoine, 2023. "International sanctions and the dollar: Evidence from trade invoicing," Working papers 924, Banque de France.
    18. Florez-Orrego, Sergio & Maggiori, Matteo & Schreger, Jesse & Sun, Ziwen & Tinda, Serdil, 2023. "Global Capital Allocation," SocArXiv 5s6n3, Center for Open Science.
    19. Alina Iancu & Gareth Anderson & Sakai Ando & Ethan Boswell & Andrea Gamba & Shushanik Hakobyan & Lusine Lusinyan & Neil Meads & Yiqun Wu, 2022. "Reserve Currencies in an Evolving International Monetary System," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 33(5), pages 879-915, November.
    20. Chunming Shen, 2022. "Digital RMB, RMB Internationalization and Sustainable Development of the International Monetary System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-22, May.
    21. Nikolova, Irena, 2021. "Impact of Covid Pandemic on Foreign Exchange Reserves," MPRA Paper 111261, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2021.
    22. Chinn, Menzie D. & Ito, Hiro & McCauley, Robert N., 2022. "Do central banks rebalance their currency shares?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    23. Bhumika Muchhala, 2022. "The Structural Power of the State-Finance Nexus: Systemic Delinking for the Right to Development," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 65(2), pages 124-135, December.
    24. Marco Ortiz & Gerardo Herrera, 2020. "Heterogeneous Credit Constraints and Optimal Monetary Policy," Working Papers 164, Peruvian Economic Association.
    25. Falk Hendrik Laser & Jan Weidner, 2022. "Currency Compositions of International Reserves and the Euro Crisis," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 33(5), pages 917-944, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    foreign exchange reserves; international currency; key currency; currency zones; invoicing of trade; currency of international debt; foreign exchange reserve management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange

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