External investment by enterprises is relative to internal investment. The so-called external investment of enterprises refers to the economic behavior in which enterprises invest in other units at home and abroad in the form of cash, physical, intangible assets, or by purchasing securities such as stocks and bonds, in addition to their main business operations, in order to obtain investment returns in the future.

Outward investment is relative to inward investment, and the return on outward investment by a company is a component of its total income. Under the conditions of a market economy, especially the development of horizontal economic alliances, outward investment by enterprises has become an important part of their financial activities.