MeehShanku said:
yea thx sunjet. i got another question. when the $A increases does that increases inflation? if so than can som1 plz explain y?
No, an appreciation will curb inflation. This is because an appreciation cheapens imports, forcing import-competing domestic firms to curtail their prices and, hence, contain inflationary pressures.
damnation said:
obviously there will be differences between the accounts wen they are added because of varying exchange rates... thats why they include net erors and ommisions
This isn't really true. Every inflow and outflow (credit and debit) on each account is measured in $A terms, meaning that movements in the $A relative to overseas currencies don't create discrepancies in the balance. In actuality, these movements are necessary to maintain the equilibrium that was discussed earlier. As sunjet said, the accounts sum to zero under a floating exchange rate system, and since a variance in the exchange rate will have opposite effects on either account (eg. An appreciation in the $A could mean a larger deficit on the G & S item of the CA due to the accompanying TOT improvement, however, could decrease foreign investment in Australia and, hence, create a narrower surplus on the Capital and Financial Account), any change thereof will not disturb the BOP.
Net errors and omissions are exactly that: errors in calculation and items discarded as trivial.
nick1048 said:
the current account and the capital account are interdependant. What is recorded on one side as a debt is recorded on the other side as a credit. That's the fundamentals behind the BOP
Not exactly. They are interdependent, yes, but there isn't an exact equivalence between debit and credit on each account, and vice versa. Payment for imported goods, for example, isn't registered as a credit on the C&F Account. Conversely, overseas investment in a local firm doesn't suddenly "give" the CA a debit. The relationship is not as simple as this.
When you're trying to get your head around the reciprocity of the two BOP Accounts, you should try to think cause and effect. To build on my second example of foreign investment in Australia, whilst the inflow on the C&F account won't have an "immediate" effect on the CA, the servicing expenses associated with the transaction, in this case, dividends and stuff, will find their way into the CA, manifesting as a debit on the Incomes item of this particular account.