India holds US govt securities worth $50.8 bn at Jun-end

According to data from the US Treasury Department, in the first six months of this year India has pumped in USD 8 billion into US securities.

Since December last year India has been marginally increasing its investments in the US treasury securities, which are considered as one of the safe havens amid persisting global economic turmoil.

India held securities worth USD 50 billion in May, slightly higher than USD 49.3 billion in April. However, the country's exposure to US treasury bills climbed significantly in March to USD 46.7 billion compared to February, when it stood at USD 44.1 billion.

Meanwhile, China remained the largest holder of American government securities in June. China held securities to the tune of USD 1,164.3 billion (or about USD 1.16 trillion), marginally higher than USD 1,164 billion seen in May.

However, Chinese holdings have been almost stagnant for three months starting April, when the same was at USD 1,164.4 billion.

At the end of June, Japan was the second largest holder having US government securities worth USD 1,119.3 billion (about USD 1.12 trillion).

Though the world's largest economy continues to see sluggish trends, the US is relatively better placed than Europe, whose debt crisis is threatening to derail the fragile global economic recovery.

There are also rising hopes that the US Federal Reserve could go for another round of stimulus measures to bolster the national economy, where unemployment rate is above 8 per cent.