Forex reserves fall to $16.88 billion

Reserves witness downward trend since July 30 due to debt repayments.

KARACHI:

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $16.88 billion in the week ending December 1, compared with $16.96 billion in the previous week, the central bank said on Thursday.

Reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) fell to $13.12 billion, compared with $13.20 billion the previous week. Reserves held by commercial banks were flat at $3.76 billion from the previous week.

Foreign exchange reserves hit a record $18.31 billion in the week ending July 30, but have since eased due to debt repayments. The reserves were boosted in June by inflows of $411 million, including a $191.9 million loan from the World Bank, and a loan of $196.8 million from the Asian Development Bank.

Higher export proceeds, and a record inflow of remittances, have also helped support Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves. According to official data, remittances rose 23.24% to $4.3 billion in the first four months of the 2010/11 fiscal year (July-June), compared with $3.50 billion in the same period last year. Remittances rose to $1.02 billion in October, compared with $855.11 million received in October last year. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 2^nd, 2011.