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Concept of Balance of Payments - Balance of Payments Surplus and Deficit

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Estimated time: 20 minutes
CBSE: Class 12

Balance of Payments Identity

  • Balance of Payments (BoP): A systematic record of all economic transactions between the residents of a country and the rest of the world during a given period.
  • The BoP always balances.
  • Under a fixed exchange rate system, official reserve transactions are used to maintain this balance.
CBSE: Class 12

Formula: Balance of Payment

Current Account + Capital Account = 0

CBSE: Class 12
National Testing Agency: Class 12

Autonomous vs. Accommodating Transactions

Feature Autonomous Accommodating
Motive Independent / Profit or Need-based To finance the BoP gap
Position in BoP "Above the line" "Below the line"
Recorded In Current and Capital Accounts Official reserve transactions (Capital Account in the old classification)

Autonomous items include:

  • Exports and imports of goods
  • Exports and imports of services
  • Unilateral transfers
  • Capital transactions (FDI, Portfolio Investment)

Accommodating items include:

  • Borrowings from IMF or other international institutions
  • Changes in foreign exchange reserves
CBSE: Class 12
National Testing Agency: Class 12

BoP Surplus and Deficit

  • BoP Surplus: Autonomous receipts > Autonomous payments.
  • BoP Deficit: Autonomous payments > Autonomous receipts.
  • Accommodating transactions are used to finance the surplus or deficit.

Errors and Omissions

  • Errors and Omissions is a separate third element of the BoP that accounts for statistical discrepancies in recording international transactions.
CBSE: Class 12

IMF Classification (BPM6)

The IMF's BPM6 framework classifies the BoP into three accounts:

  • Current Account
  • Financial Account
  • Capital Account

India has adopted the BPM6 classification.

However, the RBI continues to publish the Balance of Payments according to the old classification as well.

National Testing Agency: Class 12

Balance of Trade (BoT)

BoT = Vx - Vm

Where,

Vx = Value of goods exported
Vm = Value of goods imported

BoT Surplus:

\[V_x>V_m\]

BoT Deficit:

\[V_m>V_x\]

CBSE: Class 12

India's BoP — Sample Structure

Item Category
Exports, Imports Current Account – Trade
Trade Balance Current Account
Invisibles (Net) Current Account
Current Account Balance Current Account
FDI, Portfolio Investment, Debt, Banking Capital Capital Account
Errors and Omissions Separate Item
Overall Balance Summary
Change in Reserves Accommodating Item
CBSE: Class 12
National Testing Agency: Class 12

BoP vs. BoT

Basis Balance of Trade (BoT) Balance of Payments (BoP)
Coverage Goods only Goods, services, transfers, and capital transactions
Scope Narrow Broad
Part of Current Account Entire external account
CBSE: Class 12
National Testing Agency: Class 12

Key Points: Balance of Payments Surplus and Deficit

  • BoP always balances: Current Account + Capital Account ≡ 0.
  • Autonomous transactions are independent ("above the line"); accommodating transactions finance the BoP imbalance ("below the line").
  • Accommodating items include IMF borrowings and changes in foreign exchange reserves.
  • BoP surplus = Autonomous receipts > Autonomous payments; BoP deficit = Autonomous payments > Autonomous receipts.
  • Errors and Omissions is a separate third element of the BoP.
  • BoT covers goods only; BoP covers goods, services, transfers, and capital transactions.
  • IMF's BPM6 classifies the BoP into Current, Financial, and Capital Accounts; the RBI continues to publish data according to the old classification as well.
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