U.S. ranked No. 1 in FDI Confidence Index for third straight year

Two-thirds of companies plan to return to pre-financial crisis levels of foreign direct investment (FDI) by 2016, according to the 2015 FDI Confidence Index® from global strategy and management consulting firm A.T. Kearney. The index’s 15th edition, “Connected Risks: Investing in a Divergent World,” finds that business leaders are increasingly seeking global opportunities for growth.

The index offers an in-depth view of forward-looking global investment sentiment from senior executives. Since its inception in 1998, the study has consistently pointed toward top choices globally for foreign direct investment, with FDI destinations ranked in the index receiving the majority of global FDI inflows about a year after the survey results are released.

For the third year in a row, the U.S. and China are ranked first and second, respectively, as target countries for investment, while the U.K. continues its three-year rise to claim third position. The U.S. leads all countries when it comes to investors’ positive macroeconomic outlook, with 46 percent of those surveyed more optimistic in their outlook for the U.S. economy than they were a year ago, and 44 percent expecting GDP growth of about 3.6 percent over the next three years.

Asian investors are particularly optimistic about the growth outlook in the Americas; overall, they are less concerned than others about geopolitical instability and the regulatory environment of destination countries, expressing the strongest interest in frontier markets. More than 80 percent of Asian investors say they are currently interested in maintaining, commencing, or increasing investments in these countries.

Nearly three-fourths of countries ranked in the top 25 are from developed economies, as investors see new opportunities as safe ground. The top 10 are:

1. United States
2. China
3. United Kingdom
4. Canada
5. Germany
6. Brazil
7. Japan
8. France
9. Mexico
10. Australia

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