NEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Foreign investors were heavy buyers of long-term U.S. securities in August and nearly tripled monthly purchases of U.S. government debt, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday.
Net long-term capital inflows rose to $128.7 billion from a $61.2 billion inflow the prior month. Foreigners bought a net $117.1 billion in Treasury debt in August, the most since November 2009 and up from $30 billion in July.
Net overall capital inflows into the United States, which includes short-term instruments such as Treasury bills, slipped to $38.9 billion in August from a downwardly revised $63.3 billion, the Treasury said.
(Reporting by Steven C. Johnson;)