IMF: US dollar share of global FX reserves in Q4 2020 hits lowest in 25 years

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

According to the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) data released on Wednesday, the US dollar’s share of currency reserves hit the lowest since 1995 in the final quarter of 2020.

Key takeaways

“The greenback’s share slid to 59% in the fourth quarter, from 60.5% in the third, declining for three straight quarters. Its share in 1995 was 58%.”

“Still, the dollar has the largest share of currency reserves held by global central banks. It posted a high of a nearly 73% share in 2001.”

“Reserves held in US dollars rose to an all-time peak of $7 trillion in the fourth quarter, compared with $6.939 trillion in the third. Reserves held in euros, meanwhile, rose 7% on a quarterly basis to $2.52 trillion.”

“The Chinese yuan’s share increased to 2.25% during the period, gaining for four consecutive quarters, with yuan reserves rising 9% to $267 billion.”

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Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

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