RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s holdings in US treasuries increased for the fifth consecutive month, rising by 2.96 percent to $131.9 billion in December from November. Data released by the US Treasury Department placed Saudi Arabia at the 16th spot among the largest investors in such financial instruments in December. The report disclosed that in November, the Kingdom held bonds valued at $128.1 billion, compared to $117.5 billion and $117.1 billion in October and September, respectively. The data indicated that Saudi Arabia’s portfolio of US treasuries included long-term bonds worth $107.7 billion, constituting 82 percent of the total value. Similarly, the Kingdom’s short-term bonds amounted to $24.2 billion in December, making up 18 percent of the total value. The analysis revealed that Japan emerged as the largest investor in US treasury bonds in December, with holdings totaling $1.13 trillion, followed by China and the UK with portfolios valued at $816.3 billion and $753.7 billion, respectively. Luxembourg claimed the fourth spot with assets valued at $370.7 billion, while Canada and Ireland secured the fifth and sixth positions with treasury portfolios worth $336.1 billion and $332.3 billion, respectively. Belgium attained the seventh spot with treasury reserves worth $314.4 billion, followed by the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, with assets amounting to $305.2 billion and $287.6 billion, respectively. France held the 10th position with treasury assets amounting to $260 billion, while Taiwan and India occupied the eleventh and twelfth places with portfolios worth $252.5 billion and $233.7 billion, respectively. In January, a report released by the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, revealed that its investments in foreign securities stood at $1 trillion at the end of December 2023. SAMA also has $361.75 billion as deposits with banks abroad, the report added.