THE country’s gross international reserves (GIR) surged to a 33-month high of $85.379 billion (P4.37 trillion) in June on the back of higher gold prices, the government’s foreign-currency deposits, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) foreign-exchange (forex) operations and investment income.

The figure — the largest since September’s 2016’s $86.139 billion — was also 0.02 percent and 10.1 percent higher than those posted in May and a year ago, respectively, preliminary data released by the Bangko Sentral on Friday showed.