What Are the Components of a Current Account Deficit?
The largest component of a deficit usually a trade deficit. This simply means the country imports more goods and services than it exports. (Find out the Current U.S. Trade Deficit)The second largest component is usually a deficit in the net income. This occurs when the country exports dividends on stocks, interest payments made on financial assets, and wages paid to foreigners working in the country. If all payments made to foreigners are greater than the interest, dividends and wages made by foreigners to the country's residents, the deficit will rise.
The last component of the deficit is the smallest, but often the most hotly contested. These are direct transfers, which includes government grants to foreigners. It also includes any money sent back to their home countries by foreigners. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Current Account)
What Causes a Current Account Deficit?
Countries with current account deficits are usually big spenders, but are considered very credit worthy. These countries' businesses can't borrow from their own residents, because they haven't saved enough in local banks. They would prefer to spend than save their income. Businesses in a country like this can't expand unless they borrow from foreigners. That's where the credit-worthiness comes into the picture. If a country has a lot of spendthrifts, it won't find any other country to lend to it unless it is very wealthy and looks like it will pay back the loans.Why would another country lend to such a spender, even if it is credit-worthy? Well, usually the lender country also exports a lot of goods and possibly even some services to the borrower. Therefore, the lender country can manufacture more goods and give jobs to more of its people by lending to the spendthrift country. Both countries benefit.
What Are the Consequences of the Current Account Deficit?
In the short-run, a current account deficit is mostly advantageous. Foreigners are willing to pump capital into a country to drive economic growth beyond what it could manage on its own.However, in the long run, a current account deficit can sap economic vitality. Foreign investors may begin to question whether economic growth can provide an adequate return on their investment. Demand could weaken for the country's assets, including the country's government bonds. As this happens, yields will rise and the national currency will gradually lose value relative to other currencies. This automatically lowers the value of the assets in the foreign investors' currency, which is now getting stronger. This further depresses the demand for the country's assets. This could lead to a tipping point, at which investors will dump the assets at any price.
The only saving grace is that the country's holdings of foreign assets are denominated in foreign currency. As the value of its currency declines, the value of the foreign assets rise, thus further reducing the current account deficit. In addition, a lower currency value should increase exports, as the goods and services become more competitively priced. Similarly, demand for imports should lessen, as inflation on foreign goods and services sets in. These trends should stabilize any current account deficit. Regardless of whether the current account deficit unwound via a disastrous currency crash or a slow, controlled decline, the consequences of a current account deficit would be the same -- a lower standard of living for the country's residents.
