Foreign demand to buy up U.S. debt rose to a record level in February, as China and Japan jockey to be the top foreign owner of the record $5.66 trillion in foreign holdings of U.S. securities.
Currently, China holds $1.22 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities, a monthly increase of 0.7%. Japan holds $1.1 trillion, a 0.6% increase.
The increase left total holdings 10.8 percent higher than a year ago. Out of the total foreign holdings, 72 percent is owned by foreign governments including foreign central banks.
After China and Japan, the third-largest foreign holder was a group of five nations classified as Caribbean banking centers. The group, which includes the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, raised its holdings 5.5 percent to $286.7 billion. Brazil, the next largest, increased its holdings 2.3 percent to $260 billion.