Global Imbalances: Avoiding a Tragedy of the Commons
By Gustavo Adler and Luis Cubeddu
July 28, 2017
Since 2013, global imbalances have become increasingly concentrated in advanced economies. Surplus and deficit countries alike bear responsibility for correcting excess external imbalances (photo: Caro Oberhaeuser/Newscom)
We have just released our latest assessments of external positions for the 29 largest economies. As discussed in this year’s External Sector Report, excess current account imbalances—that is, those beyond the levels warranted by country fundamentals—were broadly unchanged in 2016. They represented about one-third of total actual surpluses and deficits, with only small shifts in 2016. […]
Assessing Global Imbalances: The Nuts and Bolts
June 26, 2017
Versions in عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Español (Spanish), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), and Русский (Russian)
Men playing chess: countries with rapidly aging populations need funds that they can draw down when their workers retire (photo: Caro/Jandke/Newscom)
Current account imbalances can be healthy or a sign of macroeconomic and financial stress—which makes their evaluation tricky. In line with its mandate of promoting international monetary cooperation, the IMF conducts annual external assessments for the world’s largest economies. The objective is to alert the global community to potential risks that countries need to address together.
Countries, like households, may spend above their incomes sometimes, and below them at other times. A country that spends above its income imports more goods and services than it exports and is said to have a current account deficit. It finances this deficit by incurring liabilities to the rest of the world, or by borrowing from it. […]