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To: willyd
4. Savings Bonds and “Others” They have essentially quadrupled the number of companies in this catchall category to create the illusion that US investment in US debt has remained steady at $1.102 trillion when in reality it now takes four times the companies to keep that category above the $1 Trillion mark.

I didn't get that from the CNBC slide show on this page. The amount of savings bonds has dropped some (from http://www.fms.treas.gov/bulletin/b2012_2.pdf page 41) but it remains nearly $200 billion.

I think this might just be a sign that it is now far easier to buy treasury bonds/bills/notes directly from the government without an intermediary which would fall into one of the other categories like mutual funds. Also after the 2008 crash more investors are in bonds having abandoned stocks.

I don't think medical insurance changes would have much effect on this. Medical insurance is like car insurance where annual income pretty well matches expenses plus profits with a little saved ahead for unexpectedly expensive years. They don't save much for the future like whole life insurance or annuity investments do.

3 posted on 06/29/2012 8:03:40 AM PDT by KarlInOhio (You only have three billion heartbeats in a lifetime.How many does the government claim as its own?)
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To: KarlInOhio

The article stated that there are now four times the amount of companies included in this category which means that per company, investment in US Bonds has dropped significantly.

They have to keep adding additional types of companies to this category in order to get the same number.


4 posted on 06/29/2012 8:09:16 AM PDT by willyd
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