FDI down 74.2 percent to $491 million in October: central bank

January 11, 2019

Foreign direct investments (FDI) registered $491 million net inflows in October 2018, 74.2 percent lower than the $1.9 billion net inflows recorded in the same month in 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Friday.

This is the third straight month FDIs declined.

Net investments of equity capital reached $98 million, lower than the year-ago level of $1.5 billion due to the big ticket investments in October 2017.

On a gross basis, placements of equity capital reached $112 million, which mostly came from the Netherlands, the United States, Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong.

These investments were channeled mainly to  manufacturing, real estate, financial and insurance,  electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply, and wholesale and retail trade activities.

Investments in debt instruments (consisting mainly of intercompany borrowings/lending between foreign direct investors and their subsidiaries/affiliates in the Philippines) amounted to $331 million from $318 million in the same period in 2017.

Reinvestment of earnings increased by 8.6 percent to $62 million in October 2018. DMS