Germany is becoming increasingly attractive to foreign
investors, a fresh study by a leading business consultancy has shown.
The authors say the country stands to profit from the UK's exit from the
European Union. Renowned consultancy A.T. Kearney on Wednesday published its 2017
Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, looking once again at
changes in investors' perception of the business climate in specific
countries and regions. The authors of the study said they were
surprised by this year's results, pointing out that a year ago investors
were concerned about the rise of populist policies in the Brexit referendum vote and the US presidential elections. "And
yet this year, despite Brexit and the equally unexpected US election
outcome, the US maintains its No.1 rank on the index, and the United
Kingdom gains one spot to rank fourth," A.T. Kearney's Paul Laudicina
said on the consultancy's website.
Not as bad as previously thought?
The
study said the discrepancy could best be explained by the fact that the
US and UK markets were both large and open economies with relatively
efficient regulations, transparent tax rates and strong technological capabilities.
It added investors had pointed to these characteristics as the primary
factors they considered when determining where to invest. There's
also the perception that both Brexit and US President will be good for
business at least in the short term. This is based on London's prospect
of having to deal with fewer cumbersome EU-mandated regulations and a
more rational immigration policy, once it's left the EU. The study remarks that Trump for his part has promised to lower corporate tax rates and invest heavily in US infrastructure.
Germany a winner
This
year's index provides some good news for Germany as it rises to second
place in the table behind the US, marking its highest ranking in the
nearly two-decade long history of the FDI Confidence Index. A.T. Kearney says the improvement likely reflects the country's
business-friendly regulatory environment and its robust labor market.
Many investors expect Germany to benefit from the fallout from Brexit. The
number of European markets on the index fell for the second year in a
row to 11 countries in 2017, signaling a downward trend in investor
interest in Europe as a region. Nonetheless, the five largest European
economies all made gains in the ranking this year. Emerging markets secured a share of 28 percent of the positions, "rebounding from a historical low of 20 percent last year." A.T.
Kearney viewed this as a nascent trend of global investors increasing
their risk tolerance and eyeing emerging economies for growth
opportunities, particularly China and India. DW
