Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury debt jumped in August while concerns about global economic growth intensified and the amount of negative-yielding debt around the world rose. Overseas investors held a record $6.86 trillion of U.S. government debt at the end of that month, a 3.4% increase from the month before, according to the most recent Treasury Department data, disclosed late Wednesday. Foreign holdings had their largest percentage increase in more than nine years, according to the data.

Source: Wall Street Journal October 17, 2019 17:03 UTC