August 2010

Welcome to the latest update from Invest in America, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s program to promote foreign direct investment to the United States This monthly update is meant to provide a few quick points highlighting some activities of Invest in America.

Invest in America Outreach

Invest in America will participate in:

• Council of American States in Europe (CASE) Seminars in the United Kingdom, events in Leeds on September 28, and Birmingham on September 29, 2010.
• Danish American Business Forum (DABF), Strengthen your Position on the US Market, Copenhagen, September 30. 2010
• U.S. Cleantech Trade and Investment Mission to Lyon, France and Brussels, Belgium, November 29 through December 4, 2010

Recent Invest in America participation:

• Invest in America outreach in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida; New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette, Louisiana; and Houston, Texas July 12-14, 2010
• Invest in America outreach in Denver, Colorado on July 15, 2010
• Invest in America outreach in Cleveland, Ohio on July 22, 2010
• Invest in America outreach in Atlanta, Georgia on August 11, 2010

Reports of Note

The Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment published a brief paper evaluating the Obama Administration’s processes for governing the flow of FDI into the U.S. via the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). This paper, entitled “Foreign Direct Investment and U.S. National Security: CFIUS under the Obama Administration,” explores whether the change in administration has affected CFIUS.

AT Kearney’s 2010 FDI Confidence Index, Investing in a Rebound, places the U.S. as the second-ranked destination for foreign investors, behind China. This report was constructed using primary data from a proprietary survey administered to senior executives of the world’s leading corporations. The U.S. moved from 3rd to 2nd place in 2010, reinforcing the widespread view that the U.S. is a safe harbor during periods of economic turmoil.

“Re-shoring,” also called “onshoring” and “backshoring,” occurs when a U.S. company that had off-shored some of its U.S.-based functions returns them back to the U.S. Though the practice does not technically qualify as a foreign direct investment, it has the same simulative effect on the U.S. economy. Articles from USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and the Knoxville News Sentinel provide an in-depth look at recent re-shoring activity.

Data

• Inquiries to date in 2010: 170
• Ombudsman cases in 2010: 18

Invest in America’s ombudsman program has achieved a number of successes in working across the federal government to address investor concerns and issues involving federal agencies. If a foreign investor has a federal-level issue that is jeopardizing an investment in the United States, please contact Aaron Brickman at 202-482-5199 or email Invest in America ataaron.brickman@trade.gov.

We invite you to connect with us through the “Invest in America” group on Linkedin.com.

Please address all comments and suggestions to info@investamerica.gov. For more information about Invest in America, please visit our website at www.investamerica.gov.