U.S. Treasuries

China has $800 billion on U.S. Treasuries

The Chinese government sponsored newspaper, China Daily, reports China holds $800 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds.

Leading economists have urged the United States to use concrete measures instead of empty words to ward off possible losses in China's holdings of US treasury bonds, which have already surpassed $800 billion.

The call comes amid widespread concern that US countermeasures to battle the financial crisis are creating another credit bubble and failing to regulate financial markets.

"So far the US government and the Federal Reserve have failed to provide China with any details of how its countermeasures against the financial crisis will not lead to serious capital losses to China's holding of its treasury bonds and foreign reserves," Yu Yongding, a renowned think tank economist with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China Daily.

China gets serious about selling dollars

Buried in yesterday's TIC report was this little gem.

China reduced its holdings of US government debt by the largest margin in nearly nine years in June, according to data from the US Treasury.
China holds more US government debt than any other country and cut its holdings of US securities by more that 3% in June, said the BBC's Chris Hogg.

That's a little disturbing, but there's a really funny punchline to this story.
Does everyone remember Geithner's comedy act in June? In case you don't:

Speaking at Peking University, Mr Geithner said: "Chinese assets are very safe."

Federal Reseve - Deficit Unsustainable (alternative title: zombies ate the money!)

The House Budget Committee held a hearing today with just one witness, Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke.

As a consequence of this elevated level of borrowing, the ratio of federal debt held by the public to nominal GDP is likely to move up from about 40 percent before the onset of the financial crisis to about 70 percent in 2011.

A Bloomberg analysis

Bernanke’s comments signal that the central bank sees risks of a relapse into financial turmoil even as credit markets show signs of stability.

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