Consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem as at 9 January 2015

Items not related to monetary policy operations

In the week ending 9 January 2015 the increase of EUR 52 million in gold and gold receivables (asset item 1) mainly reflected the purchase of gold by Lietuvos bankas in order to cover its contribution to the foreign reserve assets of the ECB in accordance with Article 30.1 and Article 48.1 of the Protocol on the Statute of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank.

The net position of the Eurosystem in foreign currency (asset items 2 and 3 minus liability items 7, 8 and 9) increased by EUR 2.3 billion to EUR 241.4 billion, on account of customer and portfolio transactions.

In the past week the Eurosystem has not conducted any liquidity-providing transactions in connection with the standing swap arrangement that the European Central Bank has with the Federal Reserve System.

The holdings by the Eurosystem of marketable securities other than those held for monetary policy purposes (asset item 7.2) decreased by EUR 0.9 billion to EUR 374.3 billion. Banknotes in circulation (liability item 1) decreased by EUR 10.2 billion to EUR 1,006.9 billion. Liabilities to general government (liability item 5.1) increased by EUR 13 billion to EUR 56.9 billion.

Items related to monetary policy operations

The Eurosystem’s net lending to credit institutions (asset item 5 minus liability items 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5 and 4) decreased by EUR 56.2 billion to EUR 511.9 billion. On Tuesday, 6 January 2015, a main refinancing operation of EUR 156.1 billion matured and a new one of EUR 112.3 billion, with a maturity of eight days, was settled.

Recourse to the marginal lending facility (asset item 5.5) was virtually nil (compared with EUR 0.3 billion in the preceding week), while recourse to the deposit facility (liability item 2.2) was EUR 73.7 billion (compared with EUR 61.7 billion in the preceding week).

The holdings by the Eurosystem of securities held for monetary policy purposes (asset item 7.1) increased by EUR 1.7 billion to EUR 218.9 billion. The table below provides the detailed breakdown of asset item 7.1 into the different portfolios. All portfolios are accounted for at amortised cost.

Current accounts of euro area credit institutions

As a result of all transactions, the current account position of credit institutions with the Eurosystem (liability item 2.1) decreased by EUR 60.5 billion, to EUR 242.4 billion.