New York Times: "In Long-Term American Treasury Securities They Trust"

Floyd Norris' "In Long-Term American Treasury Securities They Trust" (sorry, but this article is subscriber-only access) has some interesting statistics on foreign purchases of U.S. securities.

Foreign investors' purchases of American long-term securities were up 14% in 2005. According to Norris, "The gain last year showed increasing foreign trust in American corporations. While United States government and agency securities got most of the money, the increase largely came from a greater willingness to buy corporate bonds and stocks."

Another interesting fact: "in 2005 central banks played only a minor role in buying Treasuries."