MACAO -- The preliminary estimate of the Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to 208.4 billion patacas ($26.04 billion) at the end of April 2011, according to the figures released on Monday by the Monetary Authority of Macao.

Related readings:  Forex reserves pose problems: PBOC official  China says stronger yuan does not hurt forex reserves  China should cap forex reserves at $1.3t  Macao's forex reserves reach $25b in March

The reserves for April rose by 2.1 percent over the previous month, and, when compared with a year earlier, the reserves increased by 32.5 percent, the figures indicated.

Macao's foreign exchange reserves at the end of April 2011 represented 37 times the currency in circulation at the end of March.

The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, fell by 0.57 points month-to-month and 3.42 points year-on-year to 87.15 in April 2011.