United Nations Conference on Trade and Development: Global Foreign Direct Investment Declines 3% in the First Half of the Year

On the local time of the 31st, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development released the "Global Investment Trends Monitor Report." The report pointed out that trade tensions, high interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainties have led investors to remain cautious, resulting in a 3% decrease in global foreign direct investment in the first half of 2025, continuing the two-year downturn trend. This decline was mainly driven by developed economies, with cross-border mergers and acquisitions declining by 18%. The overall performance of developing economies was better, with a steady inflow of funds. However, trends vary by region. In Latin America and the Caribbean, fund inflows increased by 12%, fund inflows to Asian developing countries increased by 7%, while fund inflows to Africa decreased by 42%. In the first half of 2025, high borrowing costs and economic uncertainties continued to squeeze investment in the industrial and infrastructure sectors.