韩国央行：韩国外汇储备连续第二个月下降

Core Viewpoint - South Korea's foreign exchange reserves have declined for the second consecutive month due to measures taken to stabilize the foreign exchange market, with the reserves amounting to $425.91 billion at the end of January, a decrease of $21.5 billion from the previous month [1][3]. Group 1: Foreign Exchange Reserves - As of the end of January, South Korea's foreign exchange reserves stood at $425.91 billion, down from $428.41 billion at the end of December, marking a decrease of $21.5 billion [1][3]. - The decline follows a previous drop of $26 billion at the end of December, indicating a trend of decreasing reserves over the past two months [1][3]. - The reserves had previously reached a five-year low of approximately $404.6 billion at the end of May last year, before experiencing six months of growth until November [1][3]. Group 2: Causes of Decline - The decrease in foreign exchange reserves is attributed to the significant depreciation of the Korean won since November, prompting the Bank of Korea to implement measures to manage exchange rate volatility [1][3]. - A Bank of Korea official noted that the reduction in reserves was primarily due to operations related to the National Pension Service and foreign exchange swaps aimed at market stabilization [1][3]. Group 3: Asset Composition - The composition of South Korea's foreign exchange reserves includes $377.52 billion in securities such as government and corporate bonds, which increased by $63.9 billion [1][3]. - Deposits decreased by $85.5 billion, bringing the total to $23.32 billion [1][3]. - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) remained unchanged at $15.89 billion, while gold reserves were stable at $4.79 billion, as they are valued at purchase price rather than current market price [1][3].