Blockchain has emerged as one of the top technologies that will revolutionize business models in a multitude of sectors.  The Blockchain Industry now moves at a much more rapid pace than the Internet Industry.

Fortune 500 companies in an expanding number of industries are increasingly interested in blockchain technology through research & development (particularly Proof-of-Concepts), strategic investments and acquisitions.

Annual revenue for enterprise applications of blockchain will increase from approximately $2.5 billion worldwide in 2016 to $60.9 billion by 2024, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 49.05%.

According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, non-financial outbound direct investment in 2017 fell 29.4% year over year to $120 billion, due to effective policy measures the Chinese government had imposed to contain “Irrational” overseas investment.  Belt and Road deals accounted for 12 % of total investments in 2017, up 3.5% year over year.

While outbound direct investment declined in 2017, inbound investment into China rose 7.9% to $135 billion, a record high for the country.  The increase is due to eased restrictions and simplified legal procedures for investment.

According to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, inbound foreign direct investment in 2017 is estimated at $311 billion, down roughly 33% from $468 billion in 2016.

The United States signed “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” into law  tax in December of 2017.  The new tax law will have significant implications to global FDI patterns, and it is predicted to boost U.S. growth and increase foreign investment, and possibily to further re-shoring of manufacturing activity, according to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). 

Industrial real estate topped the list of global investors’ preferred U.S. property types, according to the results of the 2018 survey conducted by the Association of Foreign Real Estate Professionals (AFIRE),

​The FHFA House Price Index (HPI) reported a 0.7 percent increase in U.S. house prices in August from the previous month.  From August 2016 to August 2017, house prices were up 6.6 percent.  For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly price changes from July 2017 to August 2017 ranged from -0.1 percent in the New England division to +1.4 percent in the Pacific division.  The 12-month changes were all positive ranging from +5.0 percent in the Middle Atlantic division to +9.3 in the Pacific division.

The Federal Reserve has given a guideline of three more interest rate hikes in 2018, which would be in line with the 2017 hikes. So far in 2017, Fed has raised the federal funds rate by two times and is expected to hike the rate one more time in 4Q17. Currently, the federal funds rate stands at 1.25%, and the targeted rate hikes are expected to reach to 2.25% by the end of 2018.