China's FDI growth slows in September

Foreign direct investment (FDI) growth into China slowed to 7.9% year-on-year in September, its lowest level in three months, Bloomberg reported, citing figures released by the Ministry of Commerce. By contrast, FDI grew by 11.1% in August and 19.8% in July, and spending for the first nine months of this year in total was up 16.6%. Analysts attributed the slowdown to the darkening outlook for the global economy, as companies reduced their investment abroad. The growth figure “reflects concerns over China’s slowdown that we have seen in the preceding few months,” said Dariusz Kowalcyzk, a strategist at Credit Agricole (ACA.Euronext). “September was also a month of high risk aversion so investors have been hesitant to commit funds.” The country’s outbound investment grew up 12.5% in the first nine months of the year.