According to a report in Diario Libre, the gross international reserves of the Dominican Republic stood at US$828.9 million at the end of 2002. Diario Libre says the figure is similar to that of 2001, less the US$500-million sovereign bond placement made in October 2001. The newspaper observes the reserve level kept high despite the drop in exports for the free trade zone and tourism sector.
El Caribe newspaper points out that, contrary to the practice of previous years, the Central Bank did not publish the level of net international reserves for 2002.
