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A currency board only earns profit from interest on foreign reserves (less the expense of note-issuing), and does not engage in forward-exchange transactions. These foreign reserves exist (1) because local notes have been issued in exchange, or (2) because commercial banks must, by regulation, deposit a minimum reserve at the Currency Board.
The currency composition of foreign exchange reserves affects global financial markets, interest rates, and currency valuations. A high concentration in a single currency (especially the U.S. dollar) can lead to vulnerabilities in times of global economic stress.
Foreign exchange reserves (also called forex reserves or FX reserves) are cash and other reserve assets such as gold and silver held by a central bank or other monetary authority that are primarily available to balance payments of the country, influence the foreign exchange rate of its currency, and to maintain confidence in financial markets.
Bank reserves are a commercial bank's cash holdings physically held by the bank, [1] and deposits held in the bank's account with the central bank.Under the fractional-reserve banking system used in most countries, central banks may set minimum reserve requirements that mandate commercial banks under their purview to hold cash or deposits at the central bank equivalent to at least a prescribed ...
A currency board's foreign currency reserves must be sufficient to ensure that all holders of its notes and coins can convert them into the reserve currency (usually 110–115%). A currency board only earns profit from interest on reserves (less the expense of note-issuing), and does not engage in forward-exchange transactions.
A reserve currency is a foreign currency that is held in significant quantities by central banks or other monetary authorities as part of their foreign exchange reserves. [ citation needed ] The reserve currency can be used in international transactions, international investments and all aspects of the global economy.
The currency board system ensures that Hong Kong's entire monetary base is backed with US dollars at the linked exchange rate. The resources for the backing are kept in Hong Kong's exchange fund, which is among the largest official reserves in the world.
Monetary policy is generally presumed to be the policy preserve of reserve banks, who target an interest rate. If control of the amount of base money in the economy is lost due failure by the reserve bank to meet the reserve requirements of the banking system, banks who are short of reserves will bid up the interest rate.