| Actual | Previous | Revised | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net Long-Term Securities Transactions | $72.0B | $79.0B | $53.2B |
Highlights
Foreign accounts were net buyers of U.S. long-term securities in December, increasing their holdings by $79.6 billion. Taking into account net purchases of foreign long-term securities by U.S. accounts, at $7.6 billion, the net inflow for December came to $72.0 billion, compared with a revised net inflow of $53.2 billion in November.
Net sales of Treasury bonds and notes at $49.7 billion were negative for U.S. long-term holdings by foreign accounts. On the positive side were net purchases of U.S. corporate bonds at $55.0 billion, net purchases of government agency bonds of $16.2 billion, and net purchases of U.S. equities by foreign accounts of $58.2 billion.
Among top foreign holders of U.S. Treasuries (long and short-term), Japanese accounts decreased their holdings by $27.3 billion to $1,059.8 billion in December from $1,087.1 billion in November. Chinese accounts decreased their holdings by $9.6 billion to $759.0 billion from $768.6 billion in November.
Net sales of Treasury bonds and notes at $49.7 billion were negative for U.S. long-term holdings by foreign accounts. On the positive side were net purchases of U.S. corporate bonds at $55.0 billion, net purchases of government agency bonds of $16.2 billion, and net purchases of U.S. equities by foreign accounts of $58.2 billion.
Among top foreign holders of U.S. Treasuries (long and short-term), Japanese accounts decreased their holdings by $27.3 billion to $1,059.8 billion in December from $1,087.1 billion in November. Chinese accounts decreased their holdings by $9.6 billion to $759.0 billion from $768.6 billion in November.
Definition
These Treasury data track the flows of financial instruments into and out of the United States. Instruments tracked include Treasury securities, agency securities, corporate bonds, and corporate equities.
Description
TIC data have been issued since the 1970s, but only recently, due to an enormous rise in foreign participation in our markets, have they grabbed the attention of the international financial markets. Although methodologically limited, TIC offers a measure of foreign demand for our debt and assets. Bonds and the dollar are most sensitive to the data, therefore bond and foreign exchange markets are more likely to react to this report than the equity market. Strong inflows (demand for U.S. securities) are needed to keep downward pressure on interest rates. Strong inflows also underpin the value of the dollar since foreigners must purchase dollars in order to buy our securities. A strong dollar helps to maintain stability in all U.S. financial markets. Since foreign ownership of U.S. equities is comparatively small, the equity market is less concerned about this report.
