Saudi holdings of US treasury bills fell to lowest in 14 months

Saudi holdings of US treasury bills fell to lowest in 14 months
Getty Images
Short Url
Updated 19 October 2021
Follow

Saudi holdings of US treasury bills fell to lowest in 14 months

Saudi holdings of US treasury bills fell to lowest in 14 months

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's holding of US Treasury securities decreased by the end of August to $124.1 billion, the lowest since May 2020, according to new data from the US government.

The Saudi holdings in August were down by 3.1 percent or $4 billion compared to the previous month.

The holdings declined by 4.5 percent, equivalent to $5.9 billion on an annual basis, compared to August 2020, the data showed.

The Kingdom is the 17th largest holder of US debt while the UAE ranks 23rd with $58.7 billion of debt. Kuwait also held $46.8 billion of US bills and bonds at the end of August, ranking 29th.

Saudi Arabia’s holdings of long term treasury securities experienced a decline in August, falling to $101.6 billion — down from $102.2 billion in July. In annual terms, long-term securities decreased by 4.5 percent compared to August last year.

Similarly, short term US debt held by KSA went down to $22.5 billion in August from $25.9 billion the previous month. Moreover, short term debt fell considerably in August when compared to the same month last year, slumping by 39.4 percent.

In August, long-term debt made up 82 percent of overall US debt held by the Kingdom while short-term debt accounted for 18 percent.