Direct foreign investment plunged to fraction of 2001 results, says cenbank

The shaky security situation in Israel coupled with the global recession has led foreign investors to flee for the hills. Not only are new direct investments down: foreigners have been selling investments already made, according to data from the Bank of Israel.

Direct foreign investment plummeted to $168 million in the first half of 2002. That is a drop of 95% compared with the whole year of 2001, says the central bank.

In 2001 direct foreign investment totaled $3.1 billion, according to Bank of Israel data. ...