What does a current account deficit mean?
Running a sizeable deficit on the current account basically means that the UK economy is not paying its way in the global economy. There is a net outflow of demand and income from the circular flow of income and spending. The current account does not have to balance because the balance of payments also includes the capital account. The capital account tracks capital flows in and out of the UK. This includes portfolio capital flows (e.g. share transactions and the buying and selling of Government debt) and direct capital flows arising from foreign investment. Does a current account deficit really matter? Should we be concerned if, as an economy, we are running a large current account deficit? The UK has run large current account deficits in recent years with barely any effect on the overall performance of the economy. The United States economy is also experiencing a huge trade deficit at the moment. What are the implications of this? In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, small balance of payments
