The dollar's share in official foreign exchange reserves in 140 countries has fallen to its lowest level since euro cash was introduced in 2002, IMF data showed Wednesday. As of September 30, the dollar accounted for 61.6 percent of the reserves, compared with 62.8 percent at the end of the second quarter on June 30.
The euro's share in the meantime rose to 27.7 percent from 27.4 percent. Lagging behind the two US and European currencies was the British pound, whose share remained relatively steady at 4.3 percent. The yen's share rose to 3.2 percent from 3.1 percent in the second quarter and the Swiss franc was stable at 0.1 percent.
Reserves held in "other currencies" made sharp gains in the third quarter, the Washington-based institution figures showed. Their share climbed to 2.9 percent from 2.2 percent three months earlier. The forex reserves reported by the 140 countries totalled 59 percent of the 7.516 trillion dollars held. But the data excludes China, which has the world's largest reserves, at 2.272 trillion dollars on September 30, or more than 30 percent of the total. China does not report to the IMF the breakdown of the currencies it holds.
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