Acquisitions dominated BEA’s June estimate of new foreign investment

Foreign direct investors spent an estimated $232.2 billion acquiring, establishing or expanding U.S. businesses in 2025, BEA reported on June 10, 2026. The preliminary total was 49.5% above the revised 2024 level. It measures new investment expenditures rather than cumulative foreign-owned holdings. ^[1]

Acquiring existing businesses accounted for $218.4 billion. Spending to establish businesses was $4.6 billion, while expansions accounted for $9.2 billion. The combined establishment-and-expansion figure, $13.8 billion, was the release’s greenfield measure. An acquisition is therefore not evidence that an entirely new facility was built. ^[1]

Manufacturing received $121.8 billion, or 52.5% of total expenditures. Publishing was the largest detailed industry, followed by chemicals. Japan led the country comparison when investors were classified by their ultimate beneficial owner, the entity at the top of the ownership chain rather than an intermediate parent. ^[1]

BEA separately reported $284.5 billion in planned total expenditures, including spending expected in future years. That amount was not all money already spent in 2025. It also revised 2024 first-year expenditures from $151 billion to $155.3 billion, changing the baseline used for the annual comparison. ^[1]

About this item: Retrospective source brief. No first-hand reporting or independent testing is claimed. Corrections policy.