TIC data shows big U.S. security selling

Ever month, the Treasury Department releases data on international purchases and sales of U.S. assets. The figures are broken down by category -- Treasury bonds, agency bonds, stocks, and so on. The January numbers just came out, and they show substantial selling on a net basis. Foreign investors sold a net $43 billion of long-term securities in January, a big swing from +$34.7 billion in December. The selling was focused in agency bonds (think Fannie, Freddie debt) and corporates. There was fairly strong demand for Treasuries (+$12.6 billion, up slightly from December).