India’s forex reserves fall .68 bn to 6.81 bn as foreign currency assets slide


India’s foreign exchange reserves declined sharply in the week ended March 6, reversing the previous week’s surge that had taken the country’s forex stockpile to a record high.Data released by the Reserve Bank of India on Friday showed the reserves dropped by $11.683 billion to $716.810 billion, reported PTI. In the preceding reporting week, the overall reserves had risen by $4.885 billion to an all-time high of $728.494 billion.Foreign currency assets, the largest component of the reserves, decreased by $9.880 billion to $563.245 billion during the reporting week. The RBI said these assets, expressed in dollar terms, also reflect the impact of movements in non-US currencies such as the euro, pound and yen held in the reserves.The value of gold reserves fell by $1.612 billion to $130.017 billion. Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) declined by $146 million to $18.720 billion, according to the central bank’s data.India’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund also slipped by $45 million to $4.828 billion during the week, the data showed.