Significance of Balance of Payments (BoP) Data

Balance of payment records all economic transactions between a county and the rest of the countries around the world annually. The balance of payment is made up of two distinguished components respectively the current account, capital and financial accounts. Transactions such as exports and imports of goods and services, income and transfers are recorded in the current account. On the other hand transactions relating to portfolio and foreign direct investments are recorded on the capital and financial accounts. Balance of payment is an important indicator of the health of any country’s business as it reflects its international trade and investment performance. Hence, in the Balance of Payment, sources of funds are recorded as positive and uses of funds are recorded as negative. All things being equal Balance of Payment sums to zero with no overall surplus or deficit but if a country is importing more than its exports, then its Continue reading

The Capital Account component in Balance of Payments (BoP)

Capital account records public and private investment, and lending activities. It is the net change in foreign ownership of domestic assets. If foreign ownership of domestic assets has increased more quickly than domestic ownership of foreign assets in a given year, then the domestic country has a capital account surplus. On the other hand, if domestic ownership of foreign assets has increased more quickly than foreign ownership of domestic assets in a given year, then the domestic country has a capital account deficit. It is known as “financial account”. IMF manual lists out a large number of items under the capital account. But India, and many other countries, has merged the accounting classification to fit into its own institutional structure and analytical needs. Until the end of the 1980s, key sectors listed out under the capital account were: (i) private capital, (ii) banking capital, and (iii) official capital. Private capital Continue reading

The Current Account Component in Balance of Payments (BoP)

The Current Account Component The Current Account records a nation’s total exports of goods, services and transfers, and its total imports of them. The current account is subdivided into two components (1) balance of trade (BoT), and (2) balance of invisibles (BOIs). Structure of Current Account in India’s BOP Statement A. CURRENT ACCOUNT I. Merchandise (BOT): Trade Balance (A-B) A. Exports, f.o.b. B. Imports, c.i.f. II. Invisibles (BOI): (a + b + c) a. Services i. Travel ii. Transportation iii. Insurance iv. Govt. not elsewhere classified v. Miscellaneous b. Transfers i. Official ii. Private c. Income i. Investment Income ii. Compensation to employees Total Current Account = I + II 1. Balance of Trade (BoT) Balance of payments refers the difference between merchandise exports and merchandise imports of a country. BOT is also known as “general merchandise”, which covers transactions of movable goods with changes of ownership between residents and Continue reading

Translation Exposure Management in International Finance

Translation (accounting) exposure arises from the need to, for purposes of reporting and consolidation, to convert the financial statements of foreign operations from the local currency (LC) involved to the home currency (HC). If exchange rates have changed since the previous reporting period, this translation, or restatement, of those assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, gains and losses that are denominated in foreign currencies will result in foreign exchange gains or losses. The most common means of protecting against translation exposure is balance sheet hedging. This involves attempting equalize exposed assets and liabilities. For example, a company may try to reduce its foreign currency denominated assets if it fears a devaluation of the overseas currency, by running down cash balances, chasing debtors and reducing stock levels. At the same time it might increase its liabilities by borrowing in the local currency and slowing down payment to creditors. If it can equate its Continue reading

Objections Against Advertising

Economic objections against Advertising The criticisms leveled against modern advertising on economic grounds can be summarized as follows: Advertising creates monopolistic tendencies: It is argued that skillful and forceful advertising tends to create semi-monopolies particularly for branded goods. Their plea is that the advertisements create new demands so that one product is preferred to the exclusion of others. But this allegation is baseless. Monopoly is not possible in a competitive market. Advertising stimulates competition. Very often many small advertisers complete successfully against the bigger traders. Advertising is unproductive: It is often argued that advertising is unproductive since it does not produce any tangible products. This argument is also worthless. All productive work need not result in tangible goods. Effective advertisement creates demand for the product and thereby stimulates production. It is indeed a valuable service to the producer. Thus, advertising is an economic necessity. Advertising compels the consumers to buy: Continue reading

Increase in Power of Organised Retail

The bargaining power of organized retail translates directly into higher gross margins for the retailers. At present there are a large number of independent retailers with little bargaining power vis-à-vis manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. The manufacturers have been promoting their brands and generating consumer demand for branded products. This makes it necessary for all varieties of stores especially in urban areas to stock branded products. The manufacturers take advantage of the consumer pull to limit margins to the retailers. The retailers manage their profitability by operating on a very low cost basis. This is possible because of low rental expenses due to historical reasons and low labor costs due to employment of family members in the store. The modern stores have somewhat higher gross margins, but their net margins are not very significant for providing the cash flow required to fuel rapid growth in outlets. The retailers can increase their Continue reading

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