Question

Difficulty: MediumBalance of Payments Disequilibrium and Adjustment Measures

Country X recorded the following international transaction figures for a given financial year:

Transaction ItemValue (\$ million)
Exports of goods650
Imports of goods820
Net receipts from services and invisibles110
Net unrequited transfers-30
Net capital account inflows80

Calculate the magnitude of Country X's overall balance of payments deficit in millions of US dollars.

Answer: 10 million dollars

Answer

The magnitude of the overall balance of payments deficit is 10 million dollars.
The overall balance of payments position represents the sum of the current account balance and the capital account balance. The current account balance is calculated as the merchandise trade balance (650million650 million - 820 million = -170million)plusnetinvisibles(170 million) plus net invisibles ( 110 million) plus net unrequited transfers (-30million),giving30 million), giving - 90 million. Adding the net capital account inflow of 80millionyieldsanoverallbalanceof80 million yields an overall balance of - 10 million. Therefore, the magnitude of the balance of payments deficit is 10 million dollars.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Calculate Visible Balance of Trade
-$170 million
Visible balance measures net merchandise trade (Exports of goods - Imports of goods).
2
Calculate Current Account Balance
-$90 million
Current account combines visible trade, net invisible service receipts, and net unrequited transfers.
3
Calculate Overall Balance of Payments
-$10 million
Overall balance of payments is the algebraic sum of the current account balance and the capital account balance.

Key Concept

Overall Balance of Payments Disequilibrium Calculation
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