In the balance of international payments, Capital Accounts include all but
a) investments
b) banking reserve transactions
c) services
d) loans
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: c) services
The capital account in the balance of international payments records financial transactions that involve the movement of capital across borders. It is one of the key components of the balance of payments, along with the current account and the financial account.
The capital account generally includes items such as investments, loans, and banking reserve transactions. These involve changes in ownership of assets or liabilities between a country and the rest of the world. For example, when a country receives a foreign loan, or when a domestic investor buys real estate in another country, such transactions fall under the capital or financial account.
Services, on the other hand, are part of the current account, not the capital account. The current account records all transactions related to trade in goods and services, income (like wages and investment earnings), and current transfers (like foreign aid and remittances). Services include tourism, transportation, business services, education, and insurance, among others. These are considered consumption or use-based transactions and do not represent capital flow or asset transfers.
To summarize, while investments, loans, and banking reserve transactions directly involve capital movement and are recorded in the capital or financial account, services relate to the export or import of intangible goods and are part of the current account. Understanding the difference between these components is essential for interpreting how a country manages its international financial relationships and its economic interactions with the global economy.