Hong Kong forex reserves rises to $186.2 bln in March

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

HONG KONG, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's official foreign currency
reserves rose to 186.2 billion U.S. dollars at the end of March, compared with
177.1 billion U.S. dollars at the end of February, the Hong Kong Monetary
Authority said Tuesday.

The foreign currency reserves including unsettled forward contracts also
stood at 186.2 billion U.S. dollars at the end of March 2009.

The total foreign currency reserve assets of 186.2 billion U.S. dollars
represent about eight times the currency in circulation, or 45 percent of HK
dollar M3, the broadest of a range of measures of money supply in an economy.

It makes Hong Kong the world's eighth largest holder of foreign reserves.