WASHINGTON — China increased its holdings of U.S. Treasurys in April for the third month in a row, while overall inflows into long-term U.S. assets continued amid risk-aversion, the Treasury Department said Tuesday.
China’s holdings rose $5 billion to $900.2 billion, maintaining the top position among foreign countries. That followed net purchases of nearly $18 billion in March, recouping some of the sales of recent months.
Selling by China since late last year has raised some concerns that the largest creditor nation to the U.S. may be reducing its exposure to the dollar, but the move has partly reflected a portfolio rebalancing into longer-term U.S. securities.
Japan, the second largest holder of Treasurys, was a net buyer, boosting its portfolio to $795.5 billion from $784.9 billion in March. Russia, however, was a net seller for the fifth month in a row, trimming its holdings by $7 billion to $113.1 billion.
