In January 2002, Eesti Pank (Bank of Estonia) changed the definitions of monetary aggregates. The aggregates calculated according to the new definitions will be published at the Eesti Pank web site on 18 February 2002. The earlier time-series will be recalculated according to the new definitions. The main aim of the changes is to adjust and standardise the content of monetary aggregates M1 and M2. (There will be no changes in the definition of monetary aggregate M0).

Before the changes monetary aggregates M1 and M2, calculated and published in the Bank of Estonia statistical publications, comprised the data on deposits of both the government sector and non-residents. Such an approach was based on the interpretation of monetary aggregates, which comprises the majority of the deposits attracted by the financial sector.

At the same time, monetary policy analysis has been adopting definitions of money supply excluding the deposits of non-residents and the central government. The elimination of the latter from the domestic money can be explained by the necessity to analyse, first and foremost, the behaviour of the local real economy.

Thus, the monetary aggregates calculated on the new principles comprise neither the deposits of non-residents nor the central government.

For the new monetary aggregates the boundaries between the money creating sector and the money holding sector have been specified:

Liquidity of the instruments included in monetary aggregates was also considered when new definitions were adopted. The most significant change is that foreign currency demand deposits are included in the narrow monetary aggregate M1. Earlier all foreign currency deposits, including demand deposits, were included in the broad monetary aggregate M2.

The reason for the decision to include foreign currency demand deposits in M1 is that monetary aggregates M1 and M2 proceed from different liquidity level of the instruments which money comprises, ie M1 is more liquid than M2 because the latter comprises also time deposits. The liquidity of foreign currency demand deposits is not related to the maturity of a deposit, and it is easy to exchange foreign currency for local a currency.

As a result of the changes described here, monetary policy analysis becomes more transparent. Also, the aggregates calculated on the new principles are better comparable with the aggregates of other countries. Eesti Pank begins to publish the aggregates calculated on the new principles on 18 February 2002. According to the new definitions the current time-series will be recalculated as well. The definition of monetary aggregate M0 will not change.

Users of statistics should pay attention to the fact that the definitions of monetary aggregates in the banking survey table are still slightly different from the monetary aggregates discussed here (for those differences see the comparison table attached).