Treasury International Capital, Form SLT table 1 · Net sales of US corporate stocks by US residents to foreign residents, each month
Are foreigners buying more US stocks than they sell?
The net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents was $153.9 billion in the month ended , up 76.4% from a year earlier.
Net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents, not seasonally adjusted, each month
Net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest one a year earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||
| Net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents | $153.9 billion | $3.7 billion | $87.2 billion |
| Change over a year | +76.4% | n/a | +69.8% |
Observed .
Right now
The net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents was $153.9 billion in August 2026, the highest since June 2026.
Over a year it is up 76.4% (ours).
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | $3.7 billion in | +4,055.0% |
| Three months | $134.6 billion in | +14.4% |
| Twelve months | $87.2 billion in | +76.4% |
| Five years | The series begins in | |
| Ten years | The series begins in |
In historyOurs
The net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents of $153.9 billion in was higher than in 40 of the 42 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 2.
Highest since : $182.6 billion in . Lowest since : $−120.6 billion in .
AverageOurs
Average since : $38.92 billion (ours, a plain mean of the 43 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents is up 76.4%, which ranks 1 of the 4 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents beside the lines of the foreign trading of US stocks page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Understanding the net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents
Where it stands today
The net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents was $153.9 billion in August 2026.
What does the net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents measure?
Net purchases are what foreign residents bought of US corporate stocks in a month less what they sold. The Treasury's Treasury International Capital (TIC) system collects the trades from US banks, brokers, custodians and funds, and its Form SLT table 1 gives the net for all countries together.
Read more
A positive month means foreign residents added to their holdings of US stocks by trading, a negative month that they reduced them. The net leaves out the change in the value of their holdings from price moves, which the holdings page shows with the holdings.
What 500metrics adds: the change over a year, the last month in which the value was higher and lower, a rank among the lines of the foreign trading page by that change, and the history in one chart and one file.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the net purchases of US stocks by foreign residents in each month?43 months, newest first
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| $153.9 billion | +76.4% | |
| $3.7 billion | n/a | |
| $182.6 billion | +11.7% | |
| $134.6 billion | +16.3% | |
| $109.6 billion | n/a | |
| $9.8 billion | +83.4% | |
| $22.7 billion | +10.4% | |
| $−9.2 billion | n/a | |
| $119.0 billion | +96.1% | |
| $94.5 billion | −33.5% | |
| $60.2 billion | n/a | |
| $128.1 billion | +2.6% | |
| $87.2 billion | +69.8% | |
| $−18.5 billion | −180.9% | |
| $163.6 billion | +139.0% | |
| $115.8 billion | n/a | |
| $−16.8 billion | n/a | |
| $5.4 billion | −87.9% | |
| $20.6 billion | n/a | |
| $−17.4 billion | n/a | |
| $60.7 billion | n/a | |
| $142.1 billion | n/a | |
| $−34.2 billion | n/a | |
| $124.8 billion | n/a |
Show 19 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| $51.4 billion | n/a | |
| $22.9 billion | −14.3% | |
| $68.4 billion | −44.2% | |
| $−7.2 billion | n/a | |
| $−22.1 billion | n/a | |
| $44.4 billion | +64.9% | |
| $−23.0 billion | −177.3% | |
| $−120.6 billion | n/a | |
| $−3.6 billion | n/a | |
| $−1.8 billion | n/a | |
| $−80.8 billion | n/a | |
| $−27.3 billion | n/a | |
| $−0.7 billion | n/a | |
| $26.7 billion | n/a | |
| $122.7 billion | n/a | |
| $−34.0 billion | n/a | |
| $−41.4 billion | n/a | |
| $26.9 billion | n/a | |
| $29.8 billion | n/a |
How does it compare with the lines of the foreign trading of US stocks page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net foreign purchases of US stocks (this page) | $153.9 billion | +76.4% | 1 | |
| Foreign purchases of US stocks | $5,337.1 billion | +68.2% | 2 | |
| Foreign sales of US stocks | $5,183.1 billion | +68.0% | 3 | |
| Foreign holdings of US stocks | $25,181.6 billion | +22.9% | 4 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- Net purchases are the Treasury's own figure and equal the purchases less the sales on the foreign trading page. They are an amount of trading, not a view of what foreign residents think of US stocks.
- The Treasury publishes the monthly net from February 2023, when it began to publish trades on the basis of Form SLT; earlier trades came from a different report that is not joined here.
- The month-to-month figure swings in size and sign. A change over a year is not shown for a month when the net a year earlier was zero or negative, as a percent of such a number is not defined.
- The Treasury revises past months; this page always shows the newest release.
- The change over a year is ours, worked out from the Treasury's values; it is in percent.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Treasury, Treasury International Capital (TIC) System, Net sales of US corporate stocks by US residents to foreign residents, each month, through August 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "Are foreigners buying more US stocks than they sell?", https://500metrics.com/foreign-trading-of-us-stocks/net-purchases.
Can the data be downloaded?foreign-trading-of-us-stocks-net-purchases.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 43 rows, to , 808 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
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