The Exchange Fund's foreign assets grew to $1.014 trillion in March, up $6 billion on February, the Monetary Authority says.

The Monetary Base, comprising Certificates of Indebtedness, Government issued currency notes and coins in circulation, the Aggregate Balance of the banking system and Exchange Fund Bills and Notes issued, dipped $9.7 billion to $299.1 billion.

Claims on the private sector in Hong Kong also recorded a $21.5-billion fall, to $63.9 billion. Foreign liabilities, representing mainly obligations under repurchase agreements, amounted to $1.7 billion, about $100 million more than a month earlier.