VOA标准英语2008年-US Financial Crisis Expected to Affect Foreign

（单词翻译）

A United Nations survey on global investment prospects¹ shows the U.S. financial crisis and economic downturn are making corporations more cautious about future foreign investment. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi.
　
Official release in India of UNCTAD's annual report on global investment

A United Nations report, released globally on Wednesday, shows foreign direct investment in developed countries likely peaked last year, when it surged 33 percent to a record $1.25 trillion. The outlook for this year is less optimistic because of the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States and the related upheaval² in the banking³ sector⁴.

One of the contributors to this year's World Investment Report of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, consultant⁵ Premila Nazareth, says a 10 percent drop is forecast for 2008.
　
Premila Nazareth, economic consultant & policy analyst⁶ who contributed to the 2008 World Investment Report

"So far, the sub-prime [crisis] has not affected⁷ FDI (foreign direct investment) flows over this last year, but will start to do so over the next year - not dramatically but there will be a slowdown," said Nazareth.

The report's survey of corporate⁸ chief executive officers finds a majority of companies still plan to increase international investment expenditures⁹ in the next three years, but at more moderate levels.

Economist¹⁰ Partha Mukhopadhyay of India's Center for Policy Research says the unfolding financial crisis means highly-leveraged massive multi-billion-dollar investment deals in developing countries are likely over, but more rational overseas investments are apt to replace them.
　
Partha Mukhopadhyay of the Centre for Policy Research at news conference for release of the World Investment Report

"It's quite possible that you might see a resurgence¹¹ of much more healthy levels of activity, rather than the current, quote, unquote 'irrational¹² exuberance,'" said Mukhopadhyay.

The report notes that the most important factors for investment locations by large corporations are market growth and size and access to international and regional markets.

The annual U.N. survey finds that China, India, the United States, the Russian Federation¹³ and Brazil are the most attractive targets for future foreign investment. New entrants in the top-15 investment destinations are South Africa, Canada and Turkey.

The United States remains¹⁴ the largest recipient¹⁵ of foreign direct investment, helped by a weaker dollar. It is also the largest outward investor¹⁶, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. Among developing and transitioning economies, the report finds that the largest sources of foreign direct investment are China and the Russian Federation.