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A country report for Germany is presented from publisher The PRS Group with topics including economic forecasts, climate for investment and trade and tariff-non-tariff barriers.

The article presents a report of the Congressional Research Service which provides an overview of policies governing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the U.S. It mentions that U.S. direct investment abroad (USDIA) may contribute to slow growth in U.S. jobs and wages and outsources U.S. jobs, meanwhile certain foreign direct investment in the United States (FDIUS), particularly by entities owned or controlled by a foreign government, may compromise U.S. national security.

The Department of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program Office was created in 2004 to advance the US’s clean energy objectives by supporting investment in innovative and advanced clean technologies. “Clean energy” projects are defined as those that reduce, sequester, or completely avoid air pollutants or greenhouse gases, and that use new or profoundly enhanced technologies (also called breakthrough technologies) to do so. By administering incentives for clean energy projects and accelerating their deployment, the LPO aims to improve job creation; reduce dependency on foreign oil; protect the environment; and enhance American competitiveness in the global economy.

The article focuses on the Treasury Department's report on the Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF) program's transactions. Topics include the report on the usage of the funds provided to the SBLF and various financial institutions, investment of the Treasury Department for the development of SBLF, and effect of SBLF program for increasing job opportunities. It offers information on the audit report of Office of Inspector General (OIG) for SBLF.

The article presents the views of various politicians on Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF) program enacted by the Department of Treasury. Topics include the challenges faced by the small businesses for getting loans, laws related to the funding to the financial institutions, and investment of government for the development of SBLF.

The article discusses foreign direct investment in the U.S. and statistics and trends regarding these investments. Topics include statistics on investments made by foreigners in U.S. businesses, charts depicting foreign direct investment in the U.S., a comparison of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad and foreign direct investment in the U.S. and foreign investment policy of U.S. president Donald Trump's administration.

The article presents a study which estimated the supply elasticities of mining, farm, and construction machinery. The study made use of the output price increases. Results show the rapid increase of supplied quantity of machinery during the booms. The study concludes that public policies stimulating investment demand will only affect the investment good prices modestly.

The article offers a commerce report for Chile as of January 2011. A regulatory/market assessment and a regulatory/market watch are presented. It provides details about the country's policies on investments, human resources, national incentives, corporate taxes, personal taxes, competition policy, exchange controls, trade policy, and intellectual property and electronic commerce. A discussion on the standing of Chile in the global economy is given.

This article discusses the government regulation of investments in Belgium in 2011. The Economic Intelligence Unit explores the move of the government to accelerate processes for approving an investment. The firm recalls the modification of the law governing the acquisition of stakes in listed companies. In addition, the firm describes the requirement of permits for all new buildings in the country.

The article presents an overview of the laws and regulations that cover the local and foreign investment and labor force in Kenya.

The article deals with the investment policies in Taiwan. Details on the steps necessary to establish a local investment in the country are provided by the Department of Investment Services (DOIS). Processing of foreign investment applications that are less than 500 million New Taiwan dollars will take 2-4 days, while those that exceeds 1.5 billion New Taiwan dollars will take up to 30 days. Approval procedures for new ventures also apply to acquisitions through foreign direct investment. Taiwan's policy on building and related permits is also discussed. INSETS: Holding patterns;Requirements of a company limited by shares and a limited company.

A political and economic outlook for Nigeria for 2009-2013 is presented. Developments in the domestic political scene include President Umaru Yar'Adua's health scare. Conflict between the executive and the legislature is expected to negatively impact efforts to remove impediments to investment flows. Growth is also expected for the oil sector as long as political stability is maintained and a drop in oil prices is avoided. Also included are information on the Nigerian political system, as well as economic and social indicators.

The article focuses on the regulation of investments in Canada. The Investment Canada Act provides a review of acquisitions which exceed specified price levels. In terms of mergers in the country, a total of 337 deals have been reviewed by the Competition Bureau. Restricted investment and ownership rules are applied in the financial services sector. The rules for the acquisition of an existing firm are discussed, as well as the processing for building and related permits. The implementation of environmental law is also explained.

The article offers information on the investment condition in Burma or the Union of Myanmar. It mentions that the government has taken steps for the liberalization of country's economy, which is affected by poor human rights records. It mentions that business in Burma is also affected by lack of regulatory and legal transparency. An overview of the different aspects of the business sector in Burma is presented.

The article provides information on the economic conditions of China. The policies which the government had introduced to rebalance the economy by encouraging consumer spending over investments are taking effect. There has been an increase in cumulative retail sales indicating an increase in domestic consumption. While housing prices dropped in Shanghai, 69 other cities surveyed showed an increase in house prices.

The article presents information on organizing foreign investments in Australia. The country have limitations on foreign equity applicable in certain or politically sensitive areas, such as banking, airlines, airports, shipping, telecommunications, television and newspapers, defense and real estate. The Foreign Investment Review Board plays an important role in the approval of acquisition deals. State governments and local councils set standards and regulation for construction-related deals.

The article provides information on the ban on U.S. trade with and investment in Iran, which was imposed on May 6, 1995 by the U.S. President Bill Clinton. It states that the ban was implemented through Executive Order 12959 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). It discusses the major provisions of the investment and trade ban, focusing on what is allowed and prohibited under the order.

The article presents an overview of regional trends in global investment policy as of January 2013. Topics include policy measures affecting foreign investment in 2012, establishment of special economic zones (SEZs) and a graph depicting changes in national investment policies. Other topics include cross-border mergers and acquisition, investment liberalization efforts and challenges and opportunities of rise of regionalism.

The article presents an overview of trends of global investment policy developments in 2012. Topics discussed include the role of civil society and stakeholders for development of investment policy, a table depicting changes in national investment policies from 2000−2012 and investment incentive programs introduced by countries such as Armenia, Belarus and the Cayman Islands. Other topics include examples of investment liberalization and privatization measures from 2012-2013.

The article deals with the policies on exchanging and remitting funds in Taiwan. The Central Bank of China intensified its monitoring of the exchange-rate system in Taiwan in response to the global financial crisis. A repatriation of 100% of total investment capital is offered to investments conducted under the Statute for Investment of Foreign Nationals. Only manufacturing companies are allowed to convert proceeds from convertible bond or global depositary receipt issue abroad into New Taiwan dollars.

The President is generally seen as exercising broad discretionary authority over developing and implementing U.S. direct investment policy, including the authority to suspend or block investments that “threaten to impair the national security.” Congress is also directly involved in formulating the scope and direction of U.S. foreign investment policy, and some Members are urging the President to be more aggressive in blocking certain types of foreign investments. Such confrontations reflect vastly different philosophical and political views between members of Congress and between Congress and the Administration over the role foreign investment plays in the economy and the role that economic activities should play in the context of U.S. national security policy. In July 2007, Congress asserted its own role in making and conducting foreign investment policy when it adopted and the President signed P.L. 110-49, the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007. This law broadens Congress’s oversight role, and it explicitly includes the areas of homeland security and critical infrastructure as separately identifiable components of national security that the President must consider when evaluating the national security implications of a foreign investment transaction. The act may well draw Congress into a greater dialogue, and possibly greater conflict, with the Administration over efforts to define the limits of the broad rubric of national economic security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the strategies employed by the Saudi government to attract foreign direct investments (FDI). Public-private cooperation in promoting investment opportunities and projects facilitating the growth of industry and the transfer of technology; Regulatory and procedural framework concerning FDI; Industrial sectors where FDI is encouraged and endorsed by the Saudi authorities.

Looks at strategies used by the Saudi Arabian government to attract foreign direct investments (FDI). Public-private sector cooperation in promoting investment opportunities and projects facilitating the growth of industry and the transfer of technology; Regulatory and procedural framework concerning FDI; Industrial sectors where foreign investment is encouraged and endorsed by the Saudi authorities.

The America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) became law on August 9, 2007. The act responds to concerns that the United States may not be able to compete economically with other nations in the future due to insufficient investment today in science and technology research and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development. The America COMPETES Act is intended to increase the nations investment in science and engineering research and in STEM education from kindergarten to graduate school and postdoctoral education. It is designed to focus on two perceived concerns believed to influence future U.S. competitiveness: inadequate research and development funding to generate sufficient technological progress, and inadequate numbers of American students proficient in science and mathematics or interested in science and engineering careers relative to international competitors. The act authorizes funding increases for the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories, and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science over FY2008-FY2010. If maintained, the increases would double the budgets of those entities over seven years. The act establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy (ARPA-E) within DOE, designed to support transformational energy technology research projects with the goal of enhancing U.S. economic and energy security. A new program, Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes, would establish multidisciplinary institutes at DOE National Laboratories to apply fundamental science and engineering discoveries to technological innovations, according to the act. Among the acts education activities, many of which are focused on high-need school districts, are programs to recruit new K-12 STEM teachers, enhance existing STEM teacher skills, and provide more STEM education opportunities for students. The new Department of Education (ED) Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow and existing NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship programs provide opportunities, through institutional grants, for students pursuing STEM degrees and STEM professionals to gain teaching skills and teacher certification, and for current STEM teachers to enhance their teaching skills and understanding of STEM content. The act also authorizes a new program at NSF that would provide grants to create or improve professional science masters degree (PSM) programs that emphasize practical training and preparation for the workforce in high-need fields. The America COMPETES Act is an authorization act. New programs established by the act will not be initiated and authorized increases in appropriations for existing programs will not occur unless funded through subsequent appropriation acts. The 110th Congress provided FY2008 appropriations to establish EDs Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow program, and NISTs Technology Improvement Program (TIP), which replaced the existing Advanced Technology Program. The 111th Congress provided FY2009 appropriations to establish DOEs ARPA-E and NSFs PSM program. Although some America COMPETES Act research and STEM education programs received appropriations at authorized levels in FY2009, others did not. As Congress deliberates the FY2010 budget, an issue for Congress is what level, if any, will it provide America COMPETES Act programs an appropriation, and whether or not the Presidents budget request will propose to do so. Several programs newly authorized in the act have never been appropriated funds. An issue for these programs is whether or not they will receive the funding necessary to establish them. The America COMPETES Act provides authorization levels only through FY2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a report released by the U.S. Congressional Research Service as of October 28, 2008 on the trade and investment relationship of the U.S. with sub-Saharan Africa. Topics discussed include a decline in the economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa since 1973, the approval of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a new trade and investment policy for sub-Saharan Africa, by the Congress in May 2000, and the U.S. import and export trade with sub-Saharan Africa in 2007.

The article focuses on the U.S. trade and investment relationship with Sub-Saharan Africa and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Topics discussed include amendments to AGOA, technical assistance and capacity-building, and several regional cooperation and free trade agreements (FTA), including the Southern African Customs Union FTA (SACU), and European Union Activity. Also mentioned are economic growth, human and workers' rights, and gross domestic product (GDP).

The article focuses on the foreign investment climate in North Korea which it says is negatively affected by firm political control, inhibiting the likelihood that economic regulations will become less strict.

The article provides information on the condition of the Marshall Island's foreign investment with regards to policy and regulations, transparency of regulatory system, and dispute settlement by the country's judiciary.

This article explores the implementation of exchange controls in Sweden in 2011. It discusses the rules that enable foreign investors to invest in Swedish bonds and krona-denominated money-market instruments. It also states the need of investors to report incoming equity capital or its repatriation to the central bank. In addition, the article notes the rules for transferring profits and dividends of companies.

The article offers information related to politics in Italy. The political debate in the nation since early May 2010 focused primarily on fiscal austerity measures that could improve the confidence of investors in Italy. The tension between the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the judiciary continued to grow over a bill concerning phone-tapping in judicial investigations. The government also faced controversies over its influence on broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI).

The article presents political events that took place in the past month in France. A set of investment priorities was announced on November 19, 2009 and is to be funded by the government's 35 billion euro national bond, due to be launched in 2010. French president Nicolas Sarkozy is working closely with the German chancellor Angela Merkel over appointments for two leading EU positions. Politics relevant to the European Union also figured on the political scene of France in recent weeks.

An economic policy outlook for Venezuela for 2008-2009 is presented. Changes in policymaking is expected to curb private-sector investment and foment capital fight. Instability in the financial sector results from attempts to narrow the premium between the black-market exchange rate and the official pegged rate. Projected increase in the revenue indicates a significant rise in oil price forecasts. Complications in the battle to reduce inflation will also be posed by an increase in the fiscal injection ahead of the November 2008 elections.

The article discusses the implementation of the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (H.R. 5170) by Representative Todd Young for mutual dependent relationship of the investors in market exchange.

The article discusses forecasts for the performance in the business environment in China as of 2012. It states that the business environment of the country has been improving and has hit an average of 60.3% both in global and regional. It also mentions improvements in the restrictions on portfolio investment in the region.

The article offers news briefs of Turkey. The gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to decline in 2012 to 3.5 percent from 8.5 percent in 2011. The central government budget, which covers most of the public sector, recorded a deficit of 6.4 billion Turkish Lira (TL) in the first quarter of 2012. The Turkish government adopts a new investment incentive regime which will provide progressively more generous incentives in less-developed provinces.

The article focuses on the increase positive signs of a change in the government policy towards investors in Belarus. The government adopted a privatization plan for 2008-2010 that will result in the privatization of 519 national enterprises. The plan also permits the sale of shares in open joint-stock companies that are created through privatization. A further positive sign for the economy is the increase emphasis on the development of small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The article analyzes the risk in government effectiveness of Japan as of July 23, 2007. Discussed is the risk in the diffused practice of government bureaucracies in organizations that perform quasi-regulatory functions. It notes that the situation is expected to delay transactions particularly investment approvals. It also analyzes the risk in government interference in monetary policy that affects the transparency of Bank of Japan's (BOJ) decisions.

The article offers news briefs related to the economic and political risks in Thailand. On November 1, 2006, pro-democracy groups and supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra took to the streets of Bangkok to challenge the country's martial law. A THB55.2bn budget deficit for fiscal year 2005-06, which ended September 30, 2006 was posted by Thailand. The Stock Exchange of Thailand is planning on using commercial bank branches as a channel for investors to open equity accounts.