Saudi-held US Treasury bonds rise 3.9% in Oct to reach $121.1bn

Saudi-held US Treasury bonds rise 3.9% in Oct to reach $121.1bn
Saudi Arabia maintains 16th place among the largest holders of US debt in October and the first among Arab nations. (Shutterstock)  
Short Url
Updated 19 December 2022
Follow

Saudi-held US Treasury bonds rise 3.9% in Oct to reach $121.1bn

Saudi-held US Treasury bonds rise 3.9% in Oct to reach $121.1bn

CAIRO: Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasuries reached $121.1 billion in October, up 3.95 percent from $116.5 billion in the same month last year, according to recent data released by the US Treasury.

The Kingdom’s holdings in long-term bonds in October amounted to $103.1 billion, representing 85 percent of the total, while short-term bonds were worth $17.99 billion, equal to 15 percent of the total. 

Moreover, its holdings increased by $100 million in October compared to the month before.  

This helped Saudi Arabia maintain 16th place among the largest holders of US debt in October and the first among Arab nations.   

The Kingdom’s bonds increased $4.5 billion in just one month from $114.7 billion in May 2022 to $119.2 billion in June, representing a decrease of $8.4 billion compared to the same period last year.  

Its long-term investments in US treasury bonds last June accounted for $102.02 billion, representing 86 percent of the total, while the short-term bonds amounted to $17.1 billion.  

The debt issued to the Kingdom in January 2022 stood at $119.4 billion and decreased until mid-year to reach a low of $114.7 billion in May.  

Japan, China, and the UK are the largest holders of bonds, in that order, standing at $1078.2 billion, $909.6 billion, and $638.5 billion, respectively, in October 2022.  

Other Arab nations in the major holders’ list were the UAE, Kuwait, and Iraq, with securities at $53.9 billion, $50.3 billion, and $38 billion, respectively, in the same month.

The largest three holders saw a decrease in issued bonds in October 2022 compared to September, with Japan and China decreasing annually. The UK securities increased compared to the same period last year.

In October 2022, the US issued a total of $7,185.4 billion in treasury bonds to foreign nations compared to $7,660.7 billion in the same period last year.