Suppose Yamahonda, a Japanese-owned motorcycle manufacturer, builds a production plant in Alabama. This is an example of foreign direct investment in the United States.

True or False?

The statement is true, as it is an example of foreign direct investment.

Explanation:

Foreign direct investment is the direct investment by individuals or legal persons in production or business operations abroad. In this context, investments include both acquisition of foreign operations and expansion of own operations.

Foreign direct investment does not include the purchase of either shares or bonds per se. More specifically, the IMF has restricted direct investment on acquisitions to cases where the foreign investor owns 10% or more of the shares that give administrative rights in the business. Investment funds that can be classified as foreign direct investments therefore include equity deposits, reinvestments of dividends from the business, as well as the allocation of short-term and long-term loans between parent companies and subsidiaries.