CNA file photo

Taipei, June 15 (CNA) Although Taiwan's net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows hit a record high of US$12.9 billion this year, there have been recent indications of increased capital outflows.

Accumulative inflows of FDI have hit a record high of US$212.281 billion so far this year, compared with US$193.372 billion last year, according to statistics released on Thursday by the Financial Supervision Commission.

For the first five months, the country attracted net FDI inflows of US$12.724 billion.

However, from June 1-13 net FDI inflow was US$185 million, which represent a sharp decline from a monthly average of about US$2-3 billion in net inflows over the past five months.

Of note, net FDI outflow of US$190 million was recorded on Tuesday, the figures show.

The statistics were released after the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday lifted its key interest rate by 25 basis points for the third time in six months and implied there could be another hike later in the year, spurring concerns over an increase in capital outflows from Taiwan to the United States.

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar rose against the Taiwan dollar for the the eighth consecutive session on Thursday, gaining NT$0.017 to close at NT$30.247, an indication of short-term capital outflows. 

(By Tsai Yi-chu and Evelyn Kao)
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