Foreign holdings of US Treasury debt up in October

Foreign buyers of US Treasury securities increased their holdings for a third month in October, despite budget battles in Washington that shut down the government for 16 days that month.
The Treasury Department says total foreign holdings edged up 0.01 per cent in October to USD 5.65 trillion after a 1 percent gain in September. Holdings had fallen from April through July, likely reflecting concerns about rising interest rates. In October, holdings were 1.2 per cent below the record high of USD 5.72 trillion reached in March. China, the largest foreign buyer of Treasury debt, boosted its holdings 0.8 percent in October to USD 1.3 trillion. Japan, the second-largest buyer, trimmed its holdings 0.3 percent to USD 1.17 trillion.

An impasse over the budget led to a 16-day partial government shutdown in October.