ArmInfo. Armenia's gross international reserves increased over 7 months of 2021 by 17.7% or by $ 463.1 million, amounting to $ 3.079 billion, as evidenced by the data of the Central Bank of Armenia. Of these, the lion's share - $ 3.073 billion - falls on foreign assets in hard currency, and the share of SDR in the IMF amounted to $ 5.2 million. According to the regulator's report, for 7 months of this year foreign assets in hard currency increased by 17.9%, while the share of SDR in the IMF decreased by 42.1%.
The annual dynamics (July 2021 to July 2020) turned out to be similar to the seven-month trend: gross international reserves increased by 17.6% or by $ 460.4 million, due to the growth of foreign assets in hard currency by 19.2%, while the share of SDR in the IMF fell by 87.3%.
In July alone, gross international reserves reversed the trend from 3.5% growth towards 1.1% decline. A similar dynamics was observed in foreign assets in hard currency - a reversal from the June 4.2% growth to the July 0.8% decline. At the same time, the share of SDR in the IMF for the reporting month further accelerated the decline from 61.4% in June to 62.3% in July.
During 7 months of 2021, the decrease in the gross international reserves was observed in March, April and July. In the same months, the decline in foreign assets in hard currency was recorded. And the share of SDR in the IMF showed growth, and an impressive one, only in April, before and after that being in a downtrend.
To note for comparison that for 7 months of 2020, the dynamics of the gross international reserves was downward: foreign assets in hard currency decreased by 9.4%, the share of SDR in the IMF jumped 6.6- fold, which ultimately reduced the gross international reserves by 8.1%. But in y-o-y terms (July 2020 to July 2019), there was an upward trend: gross international reserves increased by 18.8% due to the growth of foreign assets in hard currency by 17.2%, while the share of SDR in the IMF jumped 12-fold. And only in July 2020, the gross international reserves slowed down the decline from 2.1% to 1.1%, with a similar dynamics of foreign assets in hard currency with a slowdown in the decline from 1.2% to 0.8%, and a slowdown in the decline in the share of SDR in the IMF from 31,5% to 19.7%.
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 drawdown 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.
