Norges Bank to sell foreign exchange on behalf of government equivalent to NOK800 mln per day in January

Norges Bank made a statement on its planning foreign exchange transactions for January 2021. In its press release, the Bank said: "The daily foreign exchange transactions in January are lower than implied by the budget figures for 2021. This is to ensure that Norges Bank has sufficient foreign exchange for sale through the month. Norges Bank maintains a separate portfolio, called the petroleum buffer portfolio (PBP), to manage the flows related to foreign exchange transactions. The government’s cash flow from petroleum activities in foreign currency (revenue from the State’s Direct Financial Interest, SDFI) is transferred to the PBP; the same applies to transfers of foreign exchange from the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG). Norges Bank sells this foreign exchange from the PBP.

In planning transactions, Norges Bank will seek to avoid situations where the level of the portfolio falls below zero. The daily foreign exchange sales entail a decline in the PBP through the month, even if some of the foreign exchange sold is covered by current foreign exchange revenue from the SDFI. The lowest level of the PBP through the month sets a limit for the size of daily foreign exchange sales. The size of the PBP rises markedly again at the end of each month when foreign exchange is transferred from the GPFG."