Brasília – Brazil has exceeded the United States and is in the third place in the ranking of countries that are investment priority between 2010 and 2012. The conclusion is part of a study disclosed today (6) by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad).
Brazil rose from the 4th position in 2009 to the 3rd post in the ranking. China is still at the top of the list, followed by India, which climbed from the 3rd to the 2nd position. The United States dropped to the 4th position. Last year, on climbing from the 5th to the 4th position, Brazil overtook Russia.
These figures were disclosed by agency BBC Brasil. The research has been developed by the Unctad every year, since 1995. In the last edition, representatives of 236 transnational companies and 116 investment promotion agencies were heard. Those interviewed were asked about perspectives for investment from 2010 to 2012.
The figures show that the impact of the global economic crisis was greater on investment scheduled in developed countries than on investment in developing nations. Nine of the 15 countries identified in the ranking of priority destinations for investment in coming years are developing nations.
The countries of the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are in four of the top five positions in the ranking. China, identified as priority investment by 98 of those interviewed in 2009, was mentioned by 107 this year. The number of mentions to India rose from 59 to 72 in the same period.
Brazil grew from 44 mentions as a priority destination for investment last year to 70 this year, whereas Russia maintained the same 36 mentions as it got last year. In the same period, the mentions to the United States dropped from 81 to 69, and those of Great Britain fell from 31 to 27, in the case of Germany, the reduction was from 28 to 24.
However, developed countries will still be the main origin of investment between 2010 and 2012, with special attention to the United States, China, Germany, Great Britain and France.
Most of the companies and agencies heard in the study were optimistic regarding global recovery and the growth of investment in the period – 58% said they hope for growth in investment up to 2012, as against 2009.
Unctad estimates that foreign direct investment should reach US$ 1.2 trillion this year, climbing to between US$ 1.3 trillion and US$ 1.5 trillion next year and between US$ 1.6 trillion and US$ 2 trillion in 2012.
*Translated by Mark Ament
