ArmInfo. Armenia's gross international reserves increased in the first quarter of 2021 by 15.1% or by $ 393.7 million, amounting to $ 3.009 billion, as evidenced by the data of the Central Bank of Armenia. Of these, the lion's share - $ 3.003 billion - falls on foreign assets in hard currency, and the SDR share in the IMF amounted to $ 2.9 million. According to the regulator's report, for the first quarter of this year foreign assets in hard currency increased by 15.2%, while the share of SDR in the IMF decreased by 67.3%.
The annual dynamics (March 2021 versus March 2020) also turned out to be ascending: the GDP increased by 16.5% or by $ 427.1 million, with a similar growth in foreign assets in hard currency by 16.4% and an increase in the share of SDR in the IMF by 7.7%.
At the same time, in March alone, the gross international reserves decreased by 5.5%, after the February jump by 33%. A similar volatility on a monthly basis was observed for foreign assets in hard currency. At the same time, the share of SDR in the IMF decreased monthly during the first quarter, accelerating the pace from January 30% to March 33%.
To note for comparison that in the first quarter of 2020, the dynamics of the gross international reserves was downward: foreign assets in hard currency decreased by 9.3%, the share of SDR in the IMF sank by 55.7%, which ultimately reduced the gross international reserves by 9.4%. However, in y-o-y terms (March 2020 to March 2019), there was an upward trend: gross international reserves increased by 19.9% due to a similar increase in foreign assets in hard currency, with an increase in the share of SDR in the IMF by 29.5%. And in March 2020 alone, the gross international reserves accelerated the decline from 0.5% to 2.9%, with a similar deepening of the decline in foreign assets in hard currency - from 0.4% to 2.8% and the continued decrease in the share of SDR in the IMF from 20.5 % up to 32.8%.
To recall, at the end of 2020, Armenia's gross international reserves amounted to $ 2.616 billion, foreign assets in hard currency - $ 2.607 billion, and the share of SDR in the IMF - $ 9 million. In 2020, the gross international reserves decreased by 8.2% (against an increase of 26.1% in 2019), foreign assets in hard currency - by 8.3%, and the share of SDR - by 46%, against an increase of 26.2% and 3,2% respectively in 2019. 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, persisting 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. The share of bank gold in the gross international reserves of Armenia was zeroed back in December 2003.
