OREANDA-NEWS. The Central Bank has published its latest dataset on the holders of Irish government bonds.

Breakdown of Holders of Government Bonds

  • The nominal value outstanding of government bonds decreased by €542 million to €123,884 million in August 2015.
  • Non-residents have significantly increased their holdings of Irish Government bonds over the past year, to 60.1 per cent of outstanding bonds, up from 53.9 per cent 12-months earlier.  The pace of this increase is easing as holdings by the combined domestic Credit institution and Central Bank increase.

Outstanding government bonds stood at €123,884 million in August 2015, with just 11.7 per cent due to mature in less than three years. At end-August 2015, Irish residents held 39.9 per cent of long-term Irish government bonds. Irish credit institutions and the Central Bank of Ireland, account for 92.1 per cent of the resident holdings (Chart 2). The nominal value outstanding of government bonds decreased by €542 million principally due to the repurchase from the Central Bank of Ireland and cancellation of floating rate bonds relating to Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Act 2013.

Despite this sale, holdings of Irish Government bonds by Irish Credit Institutions and the Central Bank of Ireland increased by €283 million, implying strong buying activity in these sectors.  As a result, bond holdings of non-residents declined by €825 million during the month.  Nonetheless, non-resident holdings are significantly higher in August 2015 compared 12 months earlier (+€14 billion).