Features of the Direct Investment Interactive System

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You can now interactively create tables that span multiple years on direct investment transactions and related positions, on the operations of U.S. multinational companies (MNCs), and on the U.S. operations of foreign MNCs. Tables can be created that display the data by country, by industry, by country and industry, and, for some series on the U.S. operations of foreign MNCs, by state. These tables can be easily downloaded into a comma-separated value (.csv) or spreadsheet (.xls) file. Data from any table can also be displayed graphically.

Create a broad or highly focused table

You can create tables that have broad coverage—for example, you can create a table for 1990-2004 on U.S. direct investment abroad that includes data for each country in which there is significant investment with subtotals for each major geographic area and world totals. It is easy to “drill down” into the data—this broad table can, with a few clicks, be supplemented by a second table displaying data for 2000-2004 on U.S. direct investment in China in the manufacturing industry. If desired, this table can then be further enhanced to add data for another industry, such as professional, scientific, and technical services. You can also create highly focused tables—for example, you can create a table that shows the manufacturing employment by majority-owned U.S. affiliates of foreign companies in North Carolina in 2003.

Tables can be easily downloaded

Any interactive table can be easily downloaded into a comma separated value (.csv) or spreadsheet (.xls) file. A .csv file is a text file with commas separating the values. This format can be read by most spreadsheet software. The downloaded file will include all documentation that accompanies the displayed table.

Data may be displayed graphically

You can also graphically display the data from the tables you create. The data can be displayed in a bar or line chart and you can change the chart’s orientation or choose to display it in 3-D format. Data can be charted for a single line in a table or for multiple lines (table lines need not be contiguous). The charts you create can be easily downloaded as a JPEG file.

Planned enhancements and refinements

This new interactive system currently covers key series on direct investment transactions and positions, on the operations of U.S. MNCs, and on the U.S. operations of foreign MNCs. As the system evolves, BEA plans to enhance and refine it in several ways, including adding data for more years, adding more detail for series currently covered, and adding additional data series.

Variation in data availability in interactive tables

The source of the data for this interactive system is BEA’s previously published tables on direct investment and the operations of MNCs. Because the content of these tables has changed over time as the composition of direct investment has changed, the detail available in the tables in this interactive system may vary from year to year. For example, tables for recent years may include detail on foreign direct investment in the United States from a particular country because investment from that country has become significant; however, data may not be shown for that country for earlier years because foreign investment from the country was negligible or nonexistent in those years. In such cases, the data cell for that country for the earlier years will display “n.s.” for not shown.

The detail available may vary from year to year for other reasons. For example, the content of the tables on the operations of U.S. affiliates of foreign MNCs will vary because, beginning with the data for 2002, BEA significantly expanded the information available on the operations of majority-owned U.S. affiliates. Due to this change, tables for majority-owned affiliates may contain less detail for years prior to 2002 than they do for later years. An “n.s.” will be displayed in the cells not separately published for the earlier years. In conjunction with the expansion of information for majority-owned affiliates, BEA modified the detail available for all affiliates (majority-owned and minority-owned affiliates combined). While information on the operations of these affiliates continues to be available for 2002 and later years, it is not as comprehensive or as detailed as that provided for earlier years. Due to this change in emphasis, tables for all affiliates may contain more detail for years prior to 2002 than they do for later years. An “n.s” will be displayed in the cells not separately published for the later years.

We would appreciate your feedback. If you have comments on, or questions about, these interactive tables, please send them to us at internationalaccounts@bea.gov.