America’s Dwindling National Wealth

U.S. net international investment position hits all-time low.

The U.S. Treasury Department building in Washington on June 6, 2019. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

Commentary

What is a rich country? In relative financial terms, it is a country whose net investment position is positive. The net investment position reflects how much one country owns of all other countries’ assets, less how much those countries own of it.