Why Are Saudi Arabia's Holdings Of U.S. Treasuries A Secret?

Bloomberg: Saudi Arabia's Secret Holdings of U.S. Debt Are Suddenly a Big Deal

* Hiding data is “mind-boggling,” says former Treasury official
* Saudi burns through $100 billion of reserves as strains emerge

It’s a secret of the vast U.S. Treasury market, a holdover from an age of oil shortages and mighty petrodollars: Just how much of America’s debt does Saudi Arabia own?

But now that question -- unanswered since the 1970s, under an unusual blackout by the U.S. Treasury Department -- has come to the fore as Saudi Arabia is pressured by plunging oil prices and costly wars in the Middle East.

In the past year alone, Saudi Arabia burned through about $100 billion of foreign-exchange reserves to plug its biggest budget shortfall in a quarter-century. For the first time, it’s also considering selling a piece of its crown jewel -- state oil company Saudi Aramco. The signs of strain are prompting concern over Saudi Arabia’s outsize position in the world’s largest and most important bond market.

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Update: Attention Finally Turns To Saudi Arabia's "Secret" US Treasury Holdings -- Zero Hedge

WNU Editor: I find it very strange that every other country's U.S. Treasury holdings are known .... but not Saudi Arabia's. That tells me only one thing .... aside from their massive oil reserves they must also have a lot of money in the U.S. to have that type of pull.