Foreign central bank U.S. debt holdings rise - Fed

NEW YORK, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Foreign central banks were net buyers of U.S. debt in the latest week, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.

The Fed said its holdings of Treasury and agency debt kept for overseas central banks rose by $28.59 billion in the week ended Sept. 1, to stand at a total of $3.225 trillion.

The breakdown of custody holdings showed overseas central banks bought $27.44 billion in Treasury debt to stand at a total $2.408 trillion.

The foreign institutions bought securities from government-sponsored agencies like Fannie Mae (FNMA.OB) and Freddie Mac (FMCC.OB), adding $1.15 billion to their holdings, to stand at a total $817.49 billion.

Overseas central banks, particularly those in Asia, have been huge buyers of U.S. debt in recent years, and own over a quarter of marketable Treasuries. China and Japan are the biggest two holders of Treasuries.

The full Fed report can be found on:

here

(Reporting by John Parry; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)