Consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem as at 18 December 2009

Items not related to monetary policy operations

In the week ending 18 December 2009 the increase of EUR 1 million in gold and gold receivables (asset item 1) reflected the purchase of gold coin by one Eurosystem central bank.

The net position of the Eurosystem in foreign currency (asset items 2 and 3 minus liability items 7, 8 and 9) decreased by EUR 1.6 billion to EUR 161.8 billion on account of customer and portfolio transactions and US dollar liquidity-providing transactions.

The liquidity-providing transactions were conducted by the Eurosystem in connection with the temporary reciprocal currency arrangements (swap lines) that the European Central Bank has with the Swiss National Bank and the Federal Reserve System. The EUR/CHF foreign exchange swap had no effect on the net position of the Eurosystem in foreign currency.

The holdings by the Eurosystem of securities other than those held for monetary policy purposes (asset item 7.2) decreased by EUR 0.7 billion to EUR 301.5 billion. Banknotes in circulation (liability item 1) increased by EUR 8.1 billion to EUR 797.5 billion. Liabilities to general government (liability item 5.1) decreased by EUR 26.5 billion to EUR 104.6 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 10.7 billion to EUR 586.4 billion. On Wednesday, 16 December 2009, a main refinancing operation of EUR 55.8 billion matured and a new one of EUR 52.9 billion was settled. On Thursday, 17 December 2009, a longer-term refinancing operation of EUR 2.8 billion, with a maturity of 77 days, matured and a new one of EUR 2.6 billion, with a maturity of 105 days, was settled. On the same day a longer-term refinancing operation of EUR 96.9 billion, with a maturity of one year, was settled.

Recourse to the marginal lending facility (asset item 5.5) was virtually nil (compared with EUR 0.2 billion in the previous week), while recourse to the deposit facility (liability item 2.2) was EUR 136.5 billion (compared with EUR 32.1 billion in the preceding week).

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) increased by EUR 10.3 billion to EUR 252.8 billion.