Debt Held by the Public

Debt Held by the Public
Treasury-issued funds in the financial markets, held by the public and foreign governments.

The major foreign holders of U.S. debt are:

China– $1.2 trillion,

Japan– $1.1 trillion

Ireland– $264 billion

Brazil– $254 billion

The respective countries in the Ghent Intensive Program and their U.S. Treasury security ownership figures:

Austria– Not present (likely figure too small)

Belgium– $121 billion

Germany– $75 billion

Poland– $30 billion

Sweden– $39 billion

For full foreign national ownership, please visit the Treasury Department’s listing: http://ticdata.treasury.gov/Publish/mfh.txt

Excessive foreign ownership of the United States’ debt is seen as a problem by many because of potential offsetting factors: foreign investors must first convert their currency to American dollars, driving up the price of the dollar, potentially causing a trade deficit for the United States because of a strong dollar; foreign motives behind United States’ debt ownership is also shifting, nations are investing in American bonds to keep low currencies, as opposed to pure liquidity and security in ownership of a stable currency.

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