Citi’s head of global business Cantú said Japanese and South Korean firms’
investment into the U.S. is likely to grow as global supply chains are
restructured, with flows rising in phases. He noted these firms retain
substantial deployment capacity; global corporate investment into the U.S. is
already large and Citi’s North America cross-border inflows business has posted
double-digit growth. Citi and JP Morgan are financing Japanese firms taking part
in a Tokyo $550 billion pledge to invest in the U.S., and the White House has
released initial projects under South Korea’s $350 billion strategic investment
plan. Cantú added investment typically ramps as projects move from land purchase
to plant construction to operations, so capex will accumulate over time. Large
multinationals have shown resilience and can rapidly adjust footprints under
geopolitical shocks; beyond tariffs, a Gulf war could have larger effects,
forcing firms to reroute trade and reshape supply chains.
