The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has successfully achieved its forex forward auction target of $20million in the latest sale of the US dollar to Bulk Oil Distribution Companies (BDCs) operating within the country.
The forex forward auction was subscribed to by 16 BDCs, who through their banks submitted bids ranging from GHS10.50 to $12.01.
The BoG’s forex forward rate for the auction was GHS 11.44.
The forex forward auctions conducted by the BoG to BDCs are designed to mitigate the uncertainty of the future availability of forex, and aid price discovery, particularly in the general pricing window within the downstream sector.
The success of the latest auction is likely to result in increased stability in the pricing of imported fuel at the pumps, a much-needed outcome for consumers within the country.
In addition to the recent forex forward auction, the Central Bank has also set aside a substantial $200m to be auctioned to BDCs to support their imports of fuel for the fourth quarter of 2023. This move indicates a continued effort by the BoG to provide stability in the pricing of imported fuel at the pumps, a necessary development in light of the economic pressures faced by consumers within the country.
The forex forward auctions are part of the BoG’s broader efforts to maintain a stable forex market and ensure price stability.
The Central Bank has implemented several measures to achieve this, including regular forex forward auctions to BDCs, which provide them with an opportunity to lock in forex prices for future fuel imports.
Furthermore, the BoG has also implemented a number of regulatory measures, such as the establishment of an interbank forex market and a forex bureau association, to promote transparency and efficiency within the forex market.
These measures have helped to restore confidence in the forex market, and to promote price stability.
T-Bill Auction: Interest Rates Shoot Up Again; Government Secures ¢1.79bn
Treasury Bill Interest rate shot up marginally again for the third week running, as the market corrects itself to reflect the prevailing economic condition.
According to the auction results, the yield on the 91-day and 182-day T-bills inched up slightly.
Whilst the 91-day T-bill went up by 0.05% to 19.79%, that of the 182-day bill increased to 22.47%, from 22.24% the previous week.
But the one-year (364-day) bill went down by 0.05% to 26.90%.
Government is hoping to reduce its interest costs substantially this year and the next couple of years, and therefore the high interest rate is a concern.
Meanwhile, the government secured ¢1.79 billion from the sale of the short term instruments, about 7.5% oversubscription of the targeted amount of ¢1.666 billion.
Chunk of the bids came from the 91-day T-bill, whereby ¢1.47 billion were tendered. All the bids were accepted.
About ¢227 million were also received for the 182-day T-bill. Again, all the bids were accepted.
All of the ¢87.81 million bids for the 364-day bill was also accepted.
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