5
NIPA and CA (cont.)
S+(T-G) = nations savings (Private savings + public savings)
I+CA = Domestic Investment (I) + Foreign Investment (CA)
Note, a positive CA account indicates an outflow of financial capital.
The domestic economy is providing its savings to the rest of
the world – enabling the country to sell more of its goods abroad.
The financial capital outflow is seen as an investment because it
Involves acquisition of assets that are expected to pay a future return.
This can be seen as
net foreign investment
.
Thus, in general, a country with a higher level of savings is able to
sustain a higher level of foreign investment.
Are CA deficits harmful?
• Recall the identity: S+ (T-G) = I + CA
• This identity does not indicate why an economy runs a
surplus/deficit.
CA deficits may be beneficial, since:
1) They may enable more investment than previously otherwise,
since this is investment that is flowing in from abroad – leads to
higher living standards? Higher productivity?
2) Investment inflows from abroad are an implicit “vote of confidence”
by foreigners – a signal that investment is safe/secure
CA deficits
• CA deficits may be harmful, however, since
Increased stock of foreign-owned assets in the
country - could an economic downturn lead to
capital flight?
A CA deficit implies a KA surplus – the
country is a net debtor nation. How does
the country finance its debt?
Case Study: US
1970’s – debt was serviced by foreign official capital inflows-
net purchases of US government securities
In the 1980’s and 1990’s – CA deficits have been financed by
private capital flows (US bank lending, purchases of real
assets, foreign direct investment in the US)
Statistical Discrepancy
• While CA+KA=0 in theory, reality suggests
that the numbers do not always equal.
• The
Statistical Discrepancy
is the sum of
CA+KA with the sign reversed
• This exists because recordkeeping for the
BoP is incomplete, especially on the
financial side of international transactions
• The Statistical Discrepancy is often
relatively small