* http://reut.rs/1QH5zhn
By Jamie McGeever and Sujata Rao
LONDON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The world's biggest emerging
markets have run down their foreign exchange reserves by more
than half a trillion dollars this year, as policymakers seek to
mitigate capital outflows stemming from the oil and commodity
price slump.
Data compiled by Reuters show that central bank reserves in
15 of the largest emerging economies are down $514.1 billion
from the end of last year, including $400 billion from China.
http://reut.rs/1QH5zhn
Emerging markets are on course to record their first year of
net capital outflows since 1988, according to the Institute of
International Finance. It estimates a net outflow of $540
billion.
Renewed weakness in commodity and oil prices in recent weeks
has revived investors' concerns over the economic and financial
health of many of these countries, compounding the downward
pressure on growth, their currencies and reserves.
"FX reserve depletion will continue as a theme broadly
speaking, not only in China but outside China," said Nikolaos
Panigirtzoglou, strategist at JP Morgan.
"The weaker renminbi has become the de facto benchmark for
emerging market FX. There's only one way to go for EM
currencies, and that's down."
The pressure is widespread across emerging markets, even if
the root causes vary from country to country. Triggers range
from economic and financial market concern in China, the oil
price collapse in Saudi Arabia, and oil, political turmoil and
economic sanctions in Russia.
Most emerging currencies have fallen against the dollar this
year, with some, such as the Brazilian real, hitting record
lows. That has forced many central banks to intervene in
currency markets to stem the volatility. ID:nL8N1401L8
China, which carried out a 2 percent mini-devaluation in
August, has guided the yuan to 4-1/2 year lows and launched a
new trade-weighted yuan FX index.
The IIF estimates that emerging market financial portfolio
outflows, which comprise a large part of overall capital flows,
amounted to $3.5 billion in November, the fourth monthly exodus
out of five.
This year is shaping up to be the worst year of portfolio
flows in the sector since 2008, it says.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (N:BAC) estimates that $70 billion has
left EM equity funds so far this year and $24 billion has exited
EM debt funds.
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