UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2006 is out, and it shows that 2005 was a banner year for foreign direct investment. Notable inflows went to:
- the United Kingdom - the single largest recipient with an eye-popping $165 billion
- the European Union - with almost half the world total and 141 mega-deals over $1 billion
- Sub-Saharan Africa - with a record (but still meager) $11 billion, mostly in natural resources thanks to the commodity boom
- the Middle East and North Africa - where investment jumped 74% over 2004 numbers
See Global Insight for an executive summary of the report. (Good tip, RGE Monitor.) Also, Bill Jamieson in London takes a more nuanced look at the big numbers and tells us to take them with the appropriate dash of salt.
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