The United States recorded a net $199.8 billion inflow in Treasury International Capital data for August 2026, the Treasury Department reported on October 16. Private foreign inflows accounted for $178.5 billion, with another $21.3 billion from foreign official investors.
The total combines long-term securities transactions, short-term U.S. securities and banking flows. It is broader than foreign purchases of Treasury debt and excludes direct investment, which is tracked separately by the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Foreign residents bought a net $300.7 billion in long-term U.S. securities during August. Private investors accounted for $257.8 billion of those purchases and official institutions for $42.9 billion. U.S. residents, meanwhile, bought a net $21.6 billion in long-term foreign securities. After adjustments, overall net foreign purchases of long-term securities were estimated at $279.2 billion.
Shorter-term holdings moved in the other direction. Foreign holdings of Treasury bills fell by $47.8 billion. The broader category covering short-term U.S. securities and other custody liabilities decreased by $37.8 billion, while banks' own net dollar-denominated liabilities to foreign residents fell by $41.6 billion.
Treasury cautions against treating the data as a precise map of ownership by country. Securities held through a custodian in a third country, or managed for investors living elsewhere, can obscure the ultimate owner's location.
