• The US dollar's share of global currency reserves has dipped to its lowest level on record, JPMorgan analysts found. 
• The decline has accelerated in recent years, while China's yuan accounts for a greater share of reserves.
• Sanctions against Russia could exacerbate the trend of diversified currency holdings, JPMorgan said.

The US dollar's share of global currency reserves has fallen to its lowest level on record, while China's yuan accounts for a greater share. 

The dollar's allocation dropped below 59% in the fourth quarter of 2021 — before Western sanctions on Russia raised doubts about the reliability of accessing the greenback. That's down from nearly 62% in early 2020 and 65% in 2015. In addition, the rate of decline has recently ramped up. 

"The proportion of reserves actively allocated to USD-denominated assets has declined about 5% since 2018, and the pace has accelerated in recent quarters," JPMorgan analysts led by Michael Hanson wrote in a Friday note. 

The dollar's decline is even more dramatic when currency values are factored in. The recent strengthening of the dollar is masking a steeper drop in its reserve status, the bank's analysts found, and the shift appears to have gained momentum since the US trade war with China began in 2018. 

The trend signals that a clear move toward more diversified currency holdings is underway, the analysts noted, and it's possible that current sanctions against Russia's central bank will exacerbate these effects down the road. 

Separately, the euro — the second-most widely held currency — has seen a net reduction over the last decade, but has ticked higher over the last three years, JPMorgan said.

More recently, offshore prices for the yuan saw the biggest weekly drop against the dollar since 2015, as Beijing re-imposes strict lockdowns to contain a resurgent coronavirus while higher US bond yields drive investors toward dollar holdings.

A spokesperson from China's foreign exchange bureau said Friday that despite the yuan's recent recent volatility, the currency remains stable and will be able to withstand the coming changes in US Fed policy toward higher rates.

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