OTTAWA -- Foreigners maintained their healthy appetite for Canadian securities in October, snapping up $15.75 billion worth of bonds, stocks and money market paper, Statistics Canada said on Thursday.

Non-residents have been investing heavily in Canada since the start of 2016. Investment for the first 10 months of the year hit a record $139.18 billion, well above the $100.77 billion amassed from January to October of 2015.

Foreign investors bought $7.69 billion in money market paper, most of it issued by private corporations. That investment was the highest of its kind since June 2015.

Purchases of bonds slowed to $6.25 billion from $11.50 billion in September while investment in stocks dropped to $1.81 billion from $5.67 billion in the previous month.

At the same time, Canadians invested a net $2.14 billion in foreign securities, led by purchases of U.S. shares. Residents sold $3.05 billion worth of U.S. government bonds, the third consecutive month of divestment.