Foreigners buy long-term U.S. assets for a 2nd month in August -Treasury data

NEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Foreigners bought long-term U.S. securities for a second straight month in August, data from the U.S. Treasury department showed on Tuesday.

Offshore investors purchased $48.3 billion in long-term U.S assets in August after buying $102.8 the previous month. Including shorter-dated securities, overseas investors bought $73.8 billion, after buying $118 billion in July.

The report also showed that foreign investors sold U.S. Treasuries for a fifth straight month, with outflows totaling $24.78 billion in August. From April to August, foreign investors sold more than $160 billion in U.S. Treasuries. (Editing by Alan Crosby)