China Foreign Exchange Reserves Expand

Official foreign exchange reserves kept by the People's Bank of China rose to an equivalent of $3.419 trillion in July of 2026 from $3.416 trillion in the previous month, aligned with market expectations and remaining relatively close to the record high of $3.442 trillion two weeks prior. The rise was aligned with a drop in the dollar during the last day of July, largely due to some dollar-asset selling by foreign institutions after the Fed decision and the joint Japan-US intervention to strengthen the yen. Meanwhile, gold reserves rose to 76.08 million troy ounces from 75.44 million in the previous month.

China’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $3.416 trillion at the end of June 2026, down from an over ten-year high of $3.442 trillion touched in May and below market expectations of $3.44 trillion. The decline followed a 2.3% rise in the US dollar against a basket of currencies, its strongest monthly gain since July 2025, amid expectations of a Federal Reserve rate hike this year. China’s central bank continued its gold-buying streak for a 20th month, with reserves reaching 75.44 million fine troy ounces by June’s end, up from 74.96 million in May. However, the value of these reserves dropped to $303.72 billion from $340.75 billion.

China’s foreign exchange reserves climbed by USD 31.7 billion to USD 3.442 trillion in May 2026, marking a 0.93% rise from USD 3.411 trillion in April and reaching their highest level since October 2015. The increase came as the greenback regained broader momentum. The yuan rose 0.95% against the U.S. dollar last month, while the dollar strengthened 0.85% against a basket of major currencies. Meanwhile, the People’s Bank of China continued to add to its gold holdings for the 19th consecutive month, with reserves rising slightly to 74.96 million fine troy ounces in May from 74.64 million in April. However, the value of these holdings declined slightly to USD 340.07 billion, down from USD 344.17 billion a month earlier.