Saudi Arabia’s holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose to their highest level in six years, reaching $160.4 billion

According to data from the U.S. Treasury Department, Saudi investments in these securities saw the largest increase on record during February compared with the previous month, rising by $25.6 billion.

Holdings during the period totaled about $160.4 billion, marking the highest figure in six years. Saudi Arabia also moved up one rank to the 17th position among the largest holders of U.S. Treasury securities.

This increase is attributed to a rise in its holdings of short-term notes by about $26 billion, representing 91% month-on-month; these reached $54.6 billion, accounting for 34% of total holdings compared with 21% in January, which was the highest on record.

Meanwhile, its investments in long-term securities declined only modestly to $105.8 billion, representing 66% of the total.

At the country level, Japan topped the list of the biggest holders of U.S. Treasury securities in February with $1,239.3 billion, followed by the United Kingdom with $897.3 billion.