Macau locals' investment in securities issued by non-residents reached MOP1,104 billion in current market value as of December last year, representing a 3% increase compared to June 2023 and a 9.7% rise compared to the end of 2022. The investment portfolio consisted primarily of equity securities, long-term debt securities, and short-term debt securities, valued at MOP335.3 billion, MOP693.8 billion, and MOP75.5 billion, respectively. The market values of equity securities and long-term debt securities experienced notable growth of 4.4% and 16.5% year on year, while the market value of short-term debt securities saw a decline of 16.4% [4cd211bc].
The Asian region remained the dominant focus of locals' external portfolio investment, accounting for 46.4% of their investment. Mainland Chinese entities' securities held the leading position, constituting 28.5% of Macau residents' portfolio investment outside the city. Investment in securities issued by Hong Kong SAR entities saw a modest rise from 10.7% to 10.8%, with a corresponding market value increase of 10% to MOP118.9 billion. Within North America, the United States attracted the bulk of Macao residents' investment, with the market value of their holdings surging by 26% to MOP187.6 billion from the end of 2022. Investment in European securities also experienced growth, with a 1.9 percentage point increase in share to 15.9% and a market value surge of 25.1% to MOP175.2 billion from the end of 2022. Macao residents saw their investment in Belt and Road Initiative countries (excluding China) grow by 14.6% from the end of 2022, reaching MOP103.9 billion. Investment in Portuguese-speaking countries amounted to MOP900.8 million, primarily invested in securities issued by entities in Portugal and Brazil [4cd211bc].