Washington – Preliminary data from the June 2018 benchmark survey of foreign portfolio holdings of U.S. securities were released today on the Treasury website. Final survey results, which will include additional detail as well as possible revisions to the preliminary data, will be reported on April 30, 2019. The survey was undertaken jointly by Treasury, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The next annual survey will cover holdings at the end of June 2019; preliminary data are expected to be released by February 28, 2020.
Complementary surveys measuring U.S. holdings of foreign securities are also carried out annually. Data from the most recent survey, reporting on securities held at year-end 2018, are currently being processed. Preliminary results are expected to be reported by August 30, 2019.
Overall Preliminary Results
The survey measured the value of foreign holdings of U.S. securities as of June 30, 2018, to be $19,434 billion, with $8,156 billion held in U.S. equities, $10,290 billion held in U.S. long-term debt securities [1] (of which $1,312 billion are holdings of asset-backed securities (ABS) [2] and $8,978 billion are holdings of non-ABS securities), and $987 billion held in U.S. short-term debt securities. The previous survey, conducted as of June 30, 2017, measured the value of total foreign holdings of U.S. securities at $18,412 billion, with holdings of $7,189 billion in U.S. equities, $10,292 billion in U.S. long-term debt securities, and $930 billion in U.S. short-term debt securities (see Table A).
[1]. Long-term debt securities have an original term-to-maturity of over one year.
[2]. Asset-backed securities are backed by pools of assets, such as pools of residential home mortgages or credit card receivables, which give the security owners claims against the cash flows generated by the underlying assets. Unlike most other debt securities, these securities generally repay both principal and interest on a regular basis, reducing the principal outstanding with each payment cycle.
Table A. Foreign holdings of U.S. securities, by type of security, as of recent survey dates
(Billions of dollars)
|
Type of security |
June 30, 2017 |
June 30, 2018 |
||
|
Long-term securities |
17,481 |
|
18,447 |
|
|
Equities |
|
7,189 |
|
8,156 |
|
Long-term debt |
|
10,292 |
|
10,290 |
|
Asset-backed |
|
1,262 |
|
1,312 |
|
Other |
|
9,030 |
|
8,978 |
|
Short-term debt securities |
930 |
|
987 |
|
|
Total |
18,412 |
|
19,434 |
|
|
Of which: Official |
5,575 |
|
5,796 |
|
Table B. Foreign holdings of U.S. securities, by country and type of security,
for the major investing countries into the U.S., as of June 30, 2018
(Billions of dollars)
|
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* Less than $500 million but more than zero.
[i]. Excludes Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, which are reported separately.
Preliminary Report on Foreign Holdings of U.S. Securities at End-June 2018