AI Analysis: International investment position, foreign portfolio investment in Canadian bonds and Canadian money market instruments, by currency of issue and sector, monthly

Executive Summary

Foreign portfolio investment in Canadian bonds and money market instruments has grown dramatically over 35 years, reaching approximately $2.54 trillion CAD in February 2026, driven overwhelmingly by bond holdings which have increased roughly 12-fold since 1991. The dataset (Statistics Canada, Table 36100475) spans 422 monthly observations across 154 unique time series, capturing granular breakdowns by instrument type, sector, currency, and valuation method. Long-term growth has been consistent and trend-driven, with no statistical outliers detected via IQR analysis, reflecting sustained and structural foreign demand for Canadian fixed-income securities.

Key Findings

• Total foreign holdings of Canadian bonds and money market instruments reached approximately $2.54 trillion CAD in February 2026, the highest level on record.
• Canadian bonds grew from $192,608M CAD in January 1991 to $2,396,574M CAD in February 2026 — a roughly 12-fold increase — and represent the dominant share of foreign portfolio investment.
• Canadian money market instruments grew more modestly, from $25,794M to $165,407M CAD over the same period, peaking at $192,519M CAD in September 2025 before slightly declining.
• The dataset's value distribution is strongly right-skewed, with a mean of $128,179M CAD approximately four times higher than the median of $31,469M CAD, indicating that a small number of very large positions drive the overall average.
• No IQR-based statistical outliers were detected in either instrument type, confirming that even the largest values reflect a consistent long-run upward trend rather than isolated anomalies.
• Canadian bond sectors — particularly All sectors, Government, and Federal — are highly correlated, meaning they tend to rise and fall together, while money market instruments exhibit different correlation patterns suggesting distinct economic drivers.
• The dataset covers 154 unique time series across 10 sector categories, 5 currency breakdowns, 2 instrument types, and 2 valuation methods, providing highly granular insight into the structure of foreign demand for Canadian debt instruments.