Balance of Payments
The balance of payments (BOP) is the place where countries record their monetary transactions with the rest of the world. Transactions are either marked as a credit or a debit. Within the BOP there are three separate categories under which different transactions are categorized: the current account, the capital account and the financial account. In the current account, goods, services, income and current transfers are recorded. In the capital account, physical assets such as a building or a factory are recorded. And in the financial account, assets pertaining to international monetary flows of, for example, business or portfolio investments, are noted. In this article, we will focus on analyzing the current account and how it reflects an economy's overall position.
The Current Account
The balance of the current account tells us if a country has a deficit or a surplus. If there is a deficit, does that mean the economy is weak? Does a surplus automatically mean that the economy is strong? Not necessarily. But to understand the significance of this part of the BOP, we should start by looking at the components of the current account: goods, services, income and current transfers.
1. Goods - These are movable and physical in nature, and in order for a transaction to be recorded under "goods", a change of ownership from/to a resident (of the local country) to/from a non-resident (in a foreign country) has to take place. Movable goods include general merchandise, goods used for processing other goods, and non-monetary gold. An export is marked as a credit (money coming in) and an import is noted as a debit (money going out).
2. Services - These transactions result from an intangible action such as transportation, business services, tourism, royalties or licensing. If money is being paid for a service it is recorded like an import (a debit), and if money is received it is recorded like an export (credit).
3. Income - Income is money going in (credit) or out (debit) of a country from salaries, portfolio investments (in the form of dividends, for example), direct investments or any other type of investment. Together, goods, services and income provide an economy with fuel to function. This means that items under these categories are actual resources that are transferred to and from a country for economic production.
4. Current Transfers - Current transfers are unilateral transfers with nothing received in return. These include workers' remittances, donations, aids and grants, official assistance and pensions. Due to their nature, current transfers are not considered real resources that affect economic production.
Now that we have covered the four basic components, we need to look at the mathematical equation that allows us to determine whether the current account is in deficit or surplus (whether it has more credit or debit). This will help us understand where any discrepancies may stem from, and how resources may be restructured in order to allow for a better functioning economy.
Current Account Deficit
A measurement of a country’s trade in which the value of goods and services it imports exceeds the value of goods and services it exports. The current account also includes net income, such as interest and dividends, as well as transfers, such as foreign aid, though these components tend to make up a smaller percentage of the current account than exports and imports. The current account is a calculation of a country’s foreign transactions, and along with the capital account is a component of a country’s balance of payment.
A current account deficit represents a negative net sales abroad. Developed countries, such as the United States, often run current account deficits, while emerging economies often run current account surpluses. Countries that are very poor tend to run current account deficits.
A country can reduce its current account deficit by increasing the value of its exports relative to the value of imports. It can place restrictions on imports, such as tariffs or quotas, or it can emphasize policies that promote exports, such as import substitution industrialization or policies that improve domestic companies' global competitiveness. The country can also use monetary policy to improve the domestic currency’s valuation relative to other currencies through devaluation, since this makes a country’s exports less expensive.
While a current account deficit can be considered akin to a country living “outside of its means," having a current account deficit is not inherently bad. If a country uses external debt to finance investments that have a higher return than the interest rate on the debt, it can remain solvent while running a current account deficit. If a country is unlikely to cover current debt levels with future revenue streams, it may become insolvent
Trade Deficit
Trade deficit - Let's say there are 2 nations in the world: nation A and nation B. If nation A sells 100 dollars worth of stuff to nation B, but buys 110 dollars worth of stuff from nation B at the same time, then nation A is said to have a trade deficit of 10 dollars: it's buying more goods and services from abroad than it is selling.
Current account deficit - this is a deficit in the current account. The current account is a broader measure than the trade deficit. It's one of the components of the balance of payments <------ balance of payments just shows all financial transactions between one country and the rest of the world. The current account deficit is equal to the trade balance (whether it's a surplus or deficit) + factor income (this is simply earnings on foreign investments by the citizens of the country subtracted from payments going to foreigners who have investments in the country) + cash transfers (like remittances from workers in the country to their families abroad).
So the difference is that the trade deficit (or surplus) is a component of the current account. The current account is a much broader measure. When the current account is in deficit, it simply means that a country's total import of goods and services, payments to foreigners on investments they hold in the country, and cash transfers from workers in the country is GREATER than its exports, factor income, and inflows of cash from abroad.
The balance of payments (BOP) is the place where countries record their monetary transactions with the rest of the world. Transactions are either marked as a credit or a debit. Within the BOP there are three separate categories under which different transactions are categorized: the current account, the capital account and the financial account. In the current account, goods, services, income and current transfers are recorded. In the capital account, physical assets such as a building or a factory are recorded. And in the financial account, assets pertaining to international monetary flows of, for example, business or portfolio investments, are noted. In this article, we will focus on analyzing the current account and how it reflects an economy's overall position.
The Current Account
The balance of the current account tells us if a country has a deficit or a surplus. If there is a deficit, does that mean the economy is weak? Does a surplus automatically mean that the economy is strong? Not necessarily. But to understand the significance of this part of the BOP, we should start by looking at the components of the current account: goods, services, income and current transfers.
1. Goods - These are movable and physical in nature, and in order for a transaction to be recorded under "goods", a change of ownership from/to a resident (of the local country) to/from a non-resident (in a foreign country) has to take place. Movable goods include general merchandise, goods used for processing other goods, and non-monetary gold. An export is marked as a credit (money coming in) and an import is noted as a debit (money going out).
2. Services - These transactions result from an intangible action such as transportation, business services, tourism, royalties or licensing. If money is being paid for a service it is recorded like an import (a debit), and if money is received it is recorded like an export (credit).
3. Income - Income is money going in (credit) or out (debit) of a country from salaries, portfolio investments (in the form of dividends, for example), direct investments or any other type of investment. Together, goods, services and income provide an economy with fuel to function. This means that items under these categories are actual resources that are transferred to and from a country for economic production.
4. Current Transfers - Current transfers are unilateral transfers with nothing received in return. These include workers' remittances, donations, aids and grants, official assistance and pensions. Due to their nature, current transfers are not considered real resources that affect economic production.
Now that we have covered the four basic components, we need to look at the mathematical equation that allows us to determine whether the current account is in deficit or surplus (whether it has more credit or debit). This will help us understand where any discrepancies may stem from, and how resources may be restructured in order to allow for a better functioning economy.
Current Account Deficit
A measurement of a country’s trade in which the value of goods and services it imports exceeds the value of goods and services it exports. The current account also includes net income, such as interest and dividends, as well as transfers, such as foreign aid, though these components tend to make up a smaller percentage of the current account than exports and imports. The current account is a calculation of a country’s foreign transactions, and along with the capital account is a component of a country’s balance of payment.
A current account deficit represents a negative net sales abroad. Developed countries, such as the United States, often run current account deficits, while emerging economies often run current account surpluses. Countries that are very poor tend to run current account deficits.
A country can reduce its current account deficit by increasing the value of its exports relative to the value of imports. It can place restrictions on imports, such as tariffs or quotas, or it can emphasize policies that promote exports, such as import substitution industrialization or policies that improve domestic companies' global competitiveness. The country can also use monetary policy to improve the domestic currency’s valuation relative to other currencies through devaluation, since this makes a country’s exports less expensive.
While a current account deficit can be considered akin to a country living “outside of its means," having a current account deficit is not inherently bad. If a country uses external debt to finance investments that have a higher return than the interest rate on the debt, it can remain solvent while running a current account deficit. If a country is unlikely to cover current debt levels with future revenue streams, it may become insolvent
Trade Deficit
Trade deficit - Let's say there are 2 nations in the world: nation A and nation B. If nation A sells 100 dollars worth of stuff to nation B, but buys 110 dollars worth of stuff from nation B at the same time, then nation A is said to have a trade deficit of 10 dollars: it's buying more goods and services from abroad than it is selling.
Current account deficit - this is a deficit in the current account. The current account is a broader measure than the trade deficit. It's one of the components of the balance of payments <------ balance of payments just shows all financial transactions between one country and the rest of the world. The current account deficit is equal to the trade balance (whether it's a surplus or deficit) + factor income (this is simply earnings on foreign investments by the citizens of the country subtracted from payments going to foreigners who have investments in the country) + cash transfers (like remittances from workers in the country to their families abroad).
So the difference is that the trade deficit (or surplus) is a component of the current account. The current account is a much broader measure. When the current account is in deficit, it simply means that a country's total import of goods and services, payments to foreigners on investments they hold in the country, and cash transfers from workers in the country is GREATER than its exports, factor income, and inflows of cash from abroad.
