Foreign currency deposits down for 4th month in April on imports payment
U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10. Reuters-Yonhap
Foreign currency deposits fell for a fourth straight month in April on payments for imports and overseas direct investment, central bank data showed Wednesday.
Residents' outstanding foreign currency-denominated deposits reached $91.39 billion at end-April, down $6.1 billion from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.
Residents include local citizens, foreigners staying in Korea for more than six months and foreign companies. The data excludes interbank foreign currency deposits.
Corporate deposits had come to $77.54 billion as of April, down $5.41 billion from the previous month, with individual holdings dropping by $690 million to $13.85 billion.
Dollar-denominated deposits rose by $5.13 billion to $79.20 billion last month, and euro-denominated deposits increased by $430 million to $4.45 billion, according to the data.
Japanese yen-denominated deposits dropped by $340 million to $5.32 billion over the cited period. (Yonhap)