New South Wales has extensive links to international markets. In 2007-08, the State's exports of goods and services were valued at $51 billion, with 71% of the State’s merchandise goods exported to Asia Pacific.
New South Wales dominates Australia's services exports. The State provides 40% of all services exports from Australia and is the nation’s premier tourist destination, largest exporter of professional, financial, computer and other business services, as well as a centre for international learning and business.
New South Wales is well positioned to benefit from the liberalisation of bilateral goods and services trade. Australia has free trade agreements with the United States, Thailand, Singapore, Chile, New Zealand and the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), and is currently considering agreements with other countries including Japan, China, Malaysia, Korea, Indonesia, India and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Australia was ranked among the ten most attractive destinations in the world for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the last two surveys of transnational corporations in the World Investments Prospects Survey conducted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. The total stock of foreign investment in Australia topped $1.7 trillion as at December 2008. Over the past five years, the world's investment in Australia has grown by almost 75%, with foreign direct investment expanding by almost 50%. New South Wales is now home to 48% of the top 500 companies in Australia and is the registered office of almost 60% of foreign companies and foreign subsidiaries in Australia, reflecting the State's advantages as a place to do business.
Sydney is an important regional financial hub in the Asia Pacific. The Australian Securities Exchange, based in Sydney, is the first major market to open each day and is the 12th largest in the world by market capitalisation, or the eighth largest in terms of float or freely available share capital. Australia has the fourth largest managed investment market in the world, which has attracted many global funds management companies to Sydney.
D - Trade and Investment