Current Account Balance in United States

The United States current account balance records the country's transactions with the rest of the world in goods, services, primary income (labour and capital) and secondary income (current transfers). It is published quarterly by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

It is the sum of the goods, services, primary income and secondary income balances. A positive figure means a current account surplus and a negative one a deficit; the balance equals the US economy's borrowing from the rest of the world. It is reported in billions of dollars.

The United States runs a chronic current account deficit that it finances by drawing foreign capital into its assets, in large part thanks to the dollar's role as a reserve currency. A widening deficit can fuel debate about global imbalances and the sustainability of the external position, with implications for the dollar.

The figures are released with a lag of several months, come at quarterly frequency and are subject to substantial revisions. The headline balance does not reveal which sub-account is driving the move, nor does it separate trade flows from investment income.