An overview of the changes in the stocks of overseas Foreign Direct Investment into the United Kingdom and the potential impact of financial engineering.

Publications

  • An analytical study into the potential impact of financial engineering on UK Foreign Direct Investment: July 2016

    UK FDI assets and liabilities have both experienced upward trends during the past decades; however, the increase in FDI liabilities since 2008 has been notably larger. A range of factors could be responsible, such as the performance of the UK economy, an open business approach to foreign investors, and a more resilient rate of return compared with other economies. That said, financial engineering has also recently been cited as a potential factor, and this paper analyses the impact of this on UK FDI statistics.

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics:

  • meet identified user needs
  • are well explained and readily accessible
  • are produced according to sound methods
  • are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest

Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the Code of Practice shall continue to be observed.