Outward U.S. foreign direct investment performance during recent financial crises

Abstract

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an extraordinary and growing role in the global markets and represents an integral part of the U.S. economy. This research has descriptive character and focuses on the latest trends in outward United States foreign direct investment (US FDI) illustrating the impact of the recent financial crises on FDI performance. The study analyzes the outward US FDI stock contribution to the global FDI stock and its performance during the last decade including geographical and sectorial distribution. The next paragraph focuses on outward US FDI corporate players ranking MNC’s by revenue and foreign assets. The essential part of this research relates to outward US FDI employment and financial performance, which includes: equity, reinvested earnings and intercompany debt. This study constitutes a base for the further exploration of the importance of outward US FDI in the global markets and in the U.S. economy. The goal of this research is to illustrate the impact of current financial crises on outward US FDI performance. The basic statistics related to outward US FDI flow and stock come from the UNCTAD’s FDI/TNC and from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), a section of the U.S. Department of Commerce.