Today, preliminary data from the annual survey of U.S. portfolio holdings of foreign securities at the close of 2022 were unveiled and made available on the Treasury website. The final report, scheduled for release on October 31, 2023, will provide additional insights and potential data revisions.
This comprehensive survey was a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Simultaneously, a complementary survey assessing foreign holdings of U.S. securities is conducted annually. The most recent of these surveys, covering securities held as of June 30, 2023, is currently undergoing processing, with preliminary results expected by February 29, 2024.
Key Preliminary Findings
The survey’s preliminary results reveal that the total value of U.S. holdings of foreign securities as of year-end 2022 amounted to approximately $14.0 trillion. This total is divided into $10.3 trillion in foreign equities, $3.3 trillion in foreign long-term debt securities (with an original term-to-maturity exceeding one year), and $0.4 trillion in foreign short-term debt securities.
To provide context, the previous survey conducted at year-end 2021 recorded U.S. holdings at $16.3 trillion, comprising $12.1 trillion in foreign equities, $3.7 trillion in foreign long-term debt securities, and $0.6 trillion in foreign short-term debt securities.
Press Release Highlights
- U.S. portfolio holdings of foreign securities, by type, as of year-end 2022 are summarized in Table 1 (Billions of dollars):
- Long-term securities: $13,536 billion
- Equities: $10,258 billion
- Long-term debt: $3,278 billion
- Short-term debt securities: $447 billion
- Total: $13,983 billion
- Long-term securities: $13,536 billion
- Table 2 provides insights into U.S. portfolio holdings of foreign securities, categorized by the country of issuer and type of security, focusing on countries with significant U.S. portfolio investment as of December 31, 2022 (Market value, billions of dollars):
- The Cayman Islands: $2,652 billion
- United Kingdom: $1,393 billion
- Canada: $1,240 billion
- Japan: $1,085 billion
- Ireland: $775 billion
- France: $695 billion
- Switzerland: $592 billion
- Netherlands: $581 billion
- Germany: $454 billion
- Australia: $423 billion
These preliminary findings provide a snapshot of the United States’ financial holdings on the global stage, with the final report expected to offer a more detailed and comprehensive overview.
For further details on this preliminary annual report, please visit the official Treasury website.
Background:
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