Foreigners Acquire C$15.13 Billion in Canadian Securities in March

Foreigners acquired Canadian securities in March -- although at a slower pace after a record-setting buying spree in the previous month -- led by the acquisition of Canadian corporate bonds.

Meanwhile, Canadian investment in foreign securities surged in March to its highest level in 15 months.

Foreign investors bought a net 15.13 billion Canadian dollars ($11.02 billion) in Canadian securities in March, Statistics Canada said Thursday. In the previous month, non-residents bought a net C$39.16 billion in Canadian securities, or a record.

Canadians purchased a net C$15.41 billion in foreign securities in March, after adding C$7.11 billion to their portfolios in the previous month.

The data agency said in the first quarter, foreign investment in Canadian securities exceeded Canadian investment in foreign securities by over C$28 billion.

Canada is running a sizable current-account deficit, meaning it requires money from abroad to help finance consumption and investment.

Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 18, 2017 09:01 ET (13:01 GMT)