Foreign direct U.S. investment rebounding

Foreign direct investment in the U.S. increased by 49% in 2010, rebounding from 2009 levels during the height of the credit crunch, according to a report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers to be released today. “At a time where we need to use every tool in our toolbox to continue to put Americans back to work and grow the economy here at home, promoting foreign direct investment is an important opportunity to accelerate our economic recovery,” President Barack Obama said in an e-mailed statement. Seventeen months before the presidential election, Obama is seeking to convince voters that his economic policies will help lead to long-term growth even as recent data shows the economy is slowing. Payrolls grew at the slowest pace in eight months in May, Labor Department figures released June 3 showed. Industrial production in the U.S. rose less than forecast in May, restrained by a slump in utility output and shortages of auto parts from Japan. Consumer purchases in the U.S. rose less than forecast in April as food and fuel prices climbed, and pending sales of existing houses plunged, showing the economy was struggling to strengthen at the start of the second quarter. The U.S., which has the most foreign direct investment of any nation in the world, has been the beneficiary of a growing number of companies with headquarters in other countries doing business in the U.S., including building new warehouses, service centers, and research and development facilities, according to the report. Low Barriers The analysis concludes that the nation's open economy and low barriers to foreign investment have helped make the U.S. an attractive investment. According to the report, in 2010 almost 90% of U.S. inbound foreign direct investment was from corporations based in Canada, Europe and Japan. Republicans, including former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the frontrunner for the party's presidential nomination in several polls, are using recent economic data to make the case that Obama's economic policies are failing. Global investors increased their cash holdings to the highest level in a year this month as hedge funds slashed the amount of borrowed money invested in stocks, a survey by Bank of America Corp.'s Merrill Lynch unit showed on June 14. --Bloomberg News--