Monday, February 1 2021 20:29

ArmInfo.Armenia's gross international reserves in 2020 decreased by 8.2% (against an increase of 26.1% in 2019), amounting to $ 2.616 billion, according to the  data of the Central Bank of Armenia.

Of these, the lion's share - $ 2.607 billion - falls on foreign assets in hard currency, and the share of SDR in the IMF was $ 9 million. According to the regulator's  report, in 2020, foreign assets in hard currency decreased by 8.3%,  and the share of SDR - by 46% against growth by 26.2% and 3.2%,  respectively, in 2019.

In the fourth quarter of 2020 alone, gross international reserves  grew by 6.8%, with an increase in foreign assets in hard currency by  8.1% and a decline in the share of SDR in the IMF by 76.1%. In the  previous quarters, the dynamics were as follows: in the third  quarter, international reserves decreased by 7.7%, while foreign  assets in hard currency fell by 7.4% and the share of SDR in the IMF  by 25.4%; in the second quarter, the growth of international reserves  by 2.6% was accompanied by a 0.7% growth in foreign assets in hard  currency and a jump in the share of SDR in the IMF 18.6-fold; in the  first quarter, a 9.4% decline in international reserves was provoked  by a decrease in foreign assets in hard currency by 9.3% and the  share of SDR in the IMF - by 55.7%. A year earlier, in Q4 2019, the  growth of gross international reserves by 18.4% was accompanied by an  increase in foreign assets in hard currency by 18.1% and 9-fold  increase in the share of SDR in the IMF.

In December 2020, gross international reserves increased by 14.8%,  and in their structure, there was an increase in foreign assets in  hard currency by 16.2%, while the share of SDR in the IMF fell by  74.6%. A year earlier, in December 2019, an increase in gross  international reserves by 20% was accompanied by an almost similar  increase in foreign assets in hard currency (by 20.1%), while the  share of SDR in the IMF fell by 12.7%.

During 2020, the downward trend in the gross international reserves  was observed in January-April, then in May an upward trend emerged,  after which the decline resumed and continued until December. The  share of SDR in the IMF also declined in the first four months,  having jumped sharply in May, after which the decline resumed, with a  monthly moderate decline observed in June-November, and a sharp one  in December. Foreign assets in hard currency showed an upward trend  in May, August and December.

To recall, at the end of 2019, Armenia's gross international reserves  amounted to $ 2.850 billion, foreign assets in hard currency - $  2.844 billion, and the share of SDR in the IMF - $ 6.2 million. The  share of bank gold in Armenia's gross international reserves was  zeroed in December 2003.