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Exchange Fund posts US$1.5 billion first-quarter gain, giving Hong Kong more financial fire power to defend currency
- Investment results include HK$16 billion loss on its bond holdings
- Exchange Fund, the war chest used to protect the city’s currency, stood at HK$4.54 trillion at the end of March
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Hong Kong’s Exchange Fund, the war chest used to defend the local currency from attacks by short-sellers, earned HK$11.6 billion (US$1.5 billion) from its investments in the first quarter as it benefited from a global rally in stock markets, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).
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The gain was a turnaround from a record quarterly loss of HK$112 billion in the prior-year period, as equity markets around the world slumped last year against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.
The fund’s first-quarter returns this year, however, significantly trailed its gains throughout the remainder of 2020 as it suffered a HK$16 billion loss on its bond investments in the first three months of 2021. In particular, the fund’s results were sharply lower than the HK$145 billion earned in last year’s fourth quarter, the best quarterly performance on record.
The preliminary results, revealed at a quarterly meeting with lawmakers at Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, were not audited and did not include financial results for the fund’s long-term “other investments”. Those figures are expected to be available later.
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Equities markets advanced broadly in the first quarter, supported by the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines globally and a US$1.9 trillion fiscal stimulus package signed into law by US President Joe Biden in March. The Biden administration also proposed an additional package of US$2 trillion in infrastructure spending to help stimulate the US economy.
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