Foreign Direct Investment after the crisis

Another good chart from The Economist, this time outlining the largets recipients of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI, which is a measure of the amount of money invested in a country from outside that country) in 2009. That the US remains comfortably in first is a great indicator of how attractive our economy remains, but notice the 57 percent drop from last year's totals.

Here's The Economist's caption: "THE flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) fell by 39% in 2009 to just over $1 trillion, from a shade under $1.7 trillion in 2008, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development. All kinds of investment—equity capital, reinvested earnings and intra-company loans—were affected by the downturn. Rich countries saw FDI inflows plunge by 41%, and foreign investment into developing countries fell by more than a third. Not every country was badly hit. FDI into China, where economic growth remained robust, declined by only 2.6%. Foreigners actually invested more in Germany and Italy last year than in 2008. Despite FDI plunging by 57% last year, America remained the world’s top investment destination."