4/13/12

Chart of the day is...

...Peru's Net International Currency Reserves (basically all US Dollars) since December 2009:


If you note an acceleration in 2012, you're not the only one. The BCRP (Peru Central Bank) has been buying dollars hand-over-fist (around $5.5Bn in the first three months of 2012) in order to stop its country currency, the Nuevo Sol (PEN) from appreciating too rapidly. At under S/2.66 to the dollar it's still at a 15 year high this morning, but that's not going stop Velarde and company from buying up the imported cash and trying hard to keep the appreciation orderly.

UPDATE: Here's an extra chart that shows the breakdown of holdings.
 

Deposits are US dollar bank accounts in the Peru system held by citizens, companies etc. Then "securities" is the big change and that's basically the BCRP buying direct at market. The other contributors are tiny stuff.