Foreign direct investment by emerging economies surged by almost a third last year as companies in China and elsewhere sought new opportunities offshore as a respite from slowing growth at home, according to new UN figures released today.
The data highlight one of the big developing trends in the global economy. Once a target for multinational companies eager to invest and reap the benefits of their rapid growth, emerging economies are becoming rivals to the US and Europe as a source of investment.
The flow of FDI from emerging economies hit a record $484bn in 2014, an increase of 30 per cent on the year before, according to figures compiled by the Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade and Development, or Unctad.