PH DOLLAR RESERVES LUMOBO ($100-B noong Hulyo)

TUMAAS ang foreign curren- cy reserves ng bansa noong Hulyo, ayon sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Sa datos ng BSP, ang gross international reserves (GIR) ng bansa ay nagkakahalaga ng $100 billion noong Hulyo, tumaas mula $99.4 billion sa naunang buwan.

“The GIR level increased month-on-month, notwithstanding the BOP (balance of payments) deficit in July 2023, due mainly to the upward revaluation adjustments in BSP gold holdings and foreign currency denominated assets,” pahayag ng central bank.

Nasa BSP ang reserve assets ng bansa, na kinabibilangan ng foreign investments, gold, foreign exchange, reserve position sa International Monetary Fund, at special drawing rights.

“The latest GIR level represents 7.4 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income, which is more than adequate external liquidity buffer,” ayon sa BSP.

“Specifically, it ensures availability of foreign exchange to meet balance of payments financing needs, such as for payment of imports and debt service, in extreme con- ditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans,” dagdag pa ng central bank.

Ang latest GIR level ay 5.9 beses din ng short-term external debt ng bansa base sa original maturity at 4.1 beses base sa residual maturity.

Ang short-term debt base sa residual maturity ay ang outstanding external debt na may original maturity na isang taon o mababa pa, plus principal payments sa medium- and long-term loans ng public at private sectors na dapat bayaran sa susunod na 12 buwan.

Samantala, lumiit ang Balance of Payments (BOP) position deficit sa $53 million noong Hulyo mula sa $1.8 billion payments position shortfall na naitala sa kaparehong buwan noong nakaraang taon.

Ang BOP ay kinabibilangan ng economic transactions ng bansa sa ibang mga bansa sa isang ispesipikong panahon, kabilang ang kalakalan sa goods, services, at capital.

Ang surplus ay nangangahulugan na mas maraming pondo ang pumasok sa bansa, habang ang deficit ay nangangahulugan na mas maraming pondo ang lumabas.

“The BOP deficit in July 2023 reflected net outflows arising mainly from the national government’s payments of its foreign currency debt obligations,” anang BSP

Sa kabila ng defi- cit noong Hulyo, ang year-to-date BOP po- sition ay nagtala ng surplus na $2.2 billion sa unang pitong buwan ng taon – isang reversal mula sa $4.9 billion deficit na nairehistro sa kaparehong panahon noong nakaraang taon.

“Based on preliminary data, this development reflected mainly the improvement in the balance of trade and the sustained inflows from personal remittances, net foreign borrowings by the national government, trade in services, and foreign direct investments,” sabi pa ng central bank.

Sa datos ng International Merchandise Trade Statistics (IMTS) ng Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA), ang trade deficit mula Enero hanggang Hulyo ay umabot sa $28 billion, mas mababa kumpara sa $29.8 billion deficit na naitala sa kaparehong panahon noong 2022.