Balance of payments, first half of 2020
Holdings in foreign shares and investment fund shares decreased
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2021-01-28 9.30
Swedish holdings in foreign portfolio assets decreased in the first half of 2020. Total holdings amounted to SEK 5 987.1 billion at the end of June 2020, which is a decrease of 4 percent compared with the end of 2019.
Portfolio assets consist of foreign shares, investment fund shares, and long-term and short-term debt securities.
Swedish holdings in shares amounted to SEK 3 275.5 billion at the end of June 2020, which is a decrease of 4 percent compared with the end of 2019. Swedish investors’ largest holdings were in US shares, where total holdings amounted to SEK 1 513.3 billion at the end of June 2020, which represents 46 percent of total Swedish share holdings in foreign shares. Japan accounted for the largest decrease in shares. Swedish portfolio assets in Japanese shares amounted to SEK 171.3 billion at the end of June 2020, down by 18 percent compared with the end of December 2019.
Holdings in funds amounted to SEK 1 427.4 billion at the end of June 2020, which is a decrease of 6 percent compared with the end of December 2019. Luxembourg remains the single largest country for Swedish holdings in foreign investment fund shares, accounting for SEK 798 billion. In total, 56 percent of Sweden’s foreign portfolio assets in investment fund shares are located in Luxembourg.
Holdings in debt securities practically unchanged
Swedish holdings in debt securities amounted to SEK 1 284.2 billion at the end of June 2020, which is a slight increase of SEK 7.7 billion compared with the end of 2019. At the end of June 2020, shares accounted for 54.7 percent, investment funds accounted for 23.8 percent, and debt securities accounted for 21.4 percent of Sweden’s total holdings. This means that the distribution at the end of June 2020 was relatively similar to the distribution at the end of December 2019.
Other financial institutions remain the largest holder sector
The other financial institutions sector was the largest holder sector, and accounted for 70.2 percent of total holdings at the end of June 2020. The other financial institutions sector includes securities companies, fund management companies and insurance companies. This sector holds mainly shares and investment fund shares, but also has the largest holdings of debt securities. The second largest sector was the social insurance sector, which accounted for 15.6 percent of total holdings.
Debt securities issued in US dollars remain the most common
Holdings in debt securities were dominated by the currencies US dollars, euros, and Swedish kronor, among which securities issued in US dollars accounted for the largest share. Swedish investors’ holdings in debt securities issued in US dollars amounted to SEK 421.9 billion at the end of June 2020, down by 5 percent compared with the end of 2019. At the same time, Swedish holdings in debt securities issued in euros and Swedish kronor increased. Swedish holdings in debt securities issued in Swedish kronor amounted to SEK 360.2 billion at the end of June 2020, up by 6 percent compared with the end of 2019.
Definitions and explanations
This study is part of the IMF’s biannual international survey and measures Swedish holdings of foreign portfolio assets with regard to both foreign shares, investment fund shares and debt securities. Sweden has taken part in this survey since 2001. Assets in the first six months of the year are measured at the end of June, and in the second half of the year, assets are measured at the end of December.
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.