Banks bought $182.2 million in cash and sold $98.7 million in September. Purchases still exceeded sales, even as customer demand for dollars increased from August.
Banks remained net dollar buyers
In CBA Table 3.6 on the cash foreign-exchange market, banks bought $182.22 million and sold $98.66 million in September. Net purchases reached $83.57 million.
August purchases were $173.71 million and sales $83.16 million. Sales increased faster than purchases, reducing net buying from about $90.55 million. This is a change in cash-counter turnover, not automatic evidence of exchange-rate pressure.
The euro market looked different
Banks bought €11.16 million in cash and sold €14.47 million, producing net sales of about €3.30 million. The dollar and euro segments therefore had different balances.
Turnover is reported in the respective currency. Dollars and euros cannot be added without conversion. Cash transactions also exclude the cashless market, import settlements and other cross-border flows.
| Transaction | August | September |
|---|---|---|
| USD purchases, million | 173.71 | 182.22 |
| USD sales, million | 83.16 | 98.66 |
| Net USD purchases, million | 90.55 | 83.57 |
Interpreting currency demand
Higher dollar sales mean customers acquired more cash dollars through banks than in August. The statistics do not distinguish travel, cash holdings and other reasons for transactions.
A wider assessment requires foreign-currency deposits and cashless flows. September’s cash data establish a narrower point: banks remained net dollar buyers despite an increase in sales to customers.
