ASIA

Lure for Foreign Investment May Fall: Though the region’s growth in 1992 is likely to outstrip this year’s rate, foreign investment is likely to shift away from Asia, according to Merrill Lynch, Singapore. The brokerage’s assessment is that sluggishness in Japan, the unsettled world trade talks and the emergence of attractive markets in such areas as Latin America will cast a shadow over Asia’s attractiveness for foreign investors. Asia, it adds, could be the whipping boy of protectionist sentiment in the United States during an election year. The report, covering the 10 major Asian economies outside Japan, said “Greater China” (China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and India will be the two bright spots for growth in 1992.