Foreign Holdings of US Treasuries Rebound to $9.331 Trillion in August; UK Tops $1 Trillion for First Time, China Cuts to 2008 Low
Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose to $9.331 trillion in August, up from $9.248 trillion in July — an increase of more than $83 billion that snapped two straight months of declines, according to the Treasury Department's monthly Treasury International Capital (TIC) data released on October 16, Reuters reported. The total remained below the record $9.487 trillion set in February.
Japan remained the largest foreign holder, with $1.068 trillion in August, down $35.6 billion, or 3.2%, from the prior month. Holdings attributed to the United Kingdom rose 1.1% to $1.009 trillion, topping $1 trillion for the first time on record; Reuters noted that London is a major global custody center, so a substantial share of UK-attributed holdings belongs to investors from elsewhere held through UK custodians. China's holdings fell for a third straight month to $590.7 billion, the lowest since August 2008 and down nearly 16% from a year earlier, while remaining the third-largest holder. Canada and Belgium also made substantial purchases in August.
On flows, the United States recorded a net TIC inflow of $199.8 billion in August, comprising $178.5 billion in net foreign private inflows and $21.3 billion in net foreign official inflows. Foreign residents made net purchases of $300.7 billion of long-term U.S. securities during the month, including $108.9 billion of net purchases of Treasury securities, while net long-term flows including swaps swung to a $279.2 billion surplus from a $27.9 billion deficit in July. Foreign residents reduced their holdings of U.S. Treasury bills by $47.8 billion.
The TIC system, published monthly by the U.S. Treasury Department, tracks cross-border securities investment and capital flows between the United States and the rest of the world, with holdings attributed by the holder's country of residence. It is a principal official gauge of foreign official and private demand for U.S. assets.
Source: U.S. Treasury Department TIC data for August 2026, released October 16 (as reported by Reuters).
Source: 美国财政部
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：从华盛顿纪念碑方向俯瞰的美国财政部大楼（资料图，2026年10月12日摄）。摄影：G. Edward Johnson，CC BY 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
