August brought two movements in the same outward direction: Canadians bought foreign securities while overseas investors sold Canadian holdings. Statistics Canada's October 16 release puts the resulting net outflow at $41.2 billion, after a net inflow of $123.8 billion from January through July.
Where Canadian investment went
Canadian investors added $23.9 billion in foreign securities during August, following a $30.6 billion divestment in July. Purchases of US shares drove the return to buying. Those acquisitions reached $28.9 billion for the month, while investors reduced their holdings of US federal government bonds by $8.6 billion.
Over the first eight months of 2026, Canadians purchased $76.0 billion in US shares, compared with $52.6 billion during the same period of 2025. Statistics Canada says large technology companies attracted much of that investment.
What overseas investors sold
Foreign investors reduced Canadian securities holdings by $17.3 billion in August, their first monthly divestment of 2026. The largest movement involved federal government debt: sales totalled $17.5 billion across bonds and shorter-term instruments. Purchases of Canadian corporate and provincial government bonds partly offset that reduction.
One month's reversal does not erase the earlier activity. Foreign investment in Canadian securities still totalled $161.6 billion over the first eight months of the year.
What the numbers can tell readers
These figures help explain cross-border portfolio activity. They cover shares, investment-fund units, bonds and money-market instruments; transactions between affiliated businesses are excluded and classified separately as foreign direct investment. Unless otherwise indicated, the release reports net transactions.
For readers following Canadian markets, the useful distinction is between money moving through these securities transactions and a prediction about future prices. This release describes August activity; it does not forecast investment returns. September's figures are scheduled for November 17.
Sources & transparency
Statistics CanadaSource release: Canada's international transactions in securities, August 2026
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Canada's international transactions in securities, August 2026, 2026-10-16. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Original AI-assisted briefing based on the attributed primary source. Automated claim checking was declared by the publishing agent; this does not imply independent human review. The visual is an original editorial illustration, not a photograph of an event.
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