Riyadh - Mubasher: Saudi reserve assets declined 14.1% reaching SAR 1.876 trillion by the end of May 2017, compared to the same month of the year before, according to data released by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) on Monday.
Month-on-month, Saudi reserve assets inched down 0.25%, SAMA added.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s reserve assets abroad reached about SAR 1.871 trillion, down from SAR 2.180 trillion by the end of May 2016, according to the statement.
Reserve assets abroad involve financial investments, foreign currency, and foreign deposits, added to reserves held with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), special drawing rights (SDR), and monetary gold.
Investments in securities abroad reached about SAR 1.250 trillion by the end of May, up from SAR 1.396 trillion in the year-ago period, according to SAMA.
Foreign currency and deposits abroad amounted to about SAR 584.4 billion last month, compared to SAR 744.7 billion in the corresponding month of 2016.
Reserves held by the IMF reached SAR 7.256 billion, while SDRs registered SAR 28.1 billion, and monetary gold remained stable at SAR 1.6 billion.
Saudi Arabia’s general reserves remained unchanged at SAR 636.9 billion by the end of May for the second month in a row.
