Foreign holdings of US Treasury securities rise 1 percent to record $6.11 trillion in November

Foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury securities rose to a record level in November following two months of declines, reflecting a big increase in purchases by Japan.

The Treasury Department says that foreign holdings increased 1 percent to a record $6.11 trillion in November following small declines in October and September.

Japan, the No. 2 foreign buyer of Treasury debt, boosted its holdings 1.6 percent to $1.24 trillion while China, the No. 1 holder of Treasury debt, trimmed its holdings by 0.2 percent to $1.25 trillion. It was the third straight month that China's holdings have fallen.

Demand for Treasury securities, still viewed as one of the world's safest investments, is expected to remain strong this year with U.S. government bonds viewed as a safe haven in often turbulent global markets.