Current account asymmetries occur when one country’s data does not correspond to the same data for the same transaction reported by its partner countries.
The following analysis looks at asymmetries between the UK current account and the rest of the European Union (EU) based on data published in the Pink Book 2004.
The UK consistently reported lower current account credits and debits with the EU than were reported by EU countries with the UK.
Asymmetries are not confined to countries within the EU. Some additional data is also presented regarding asymmetries between the UK and the US. The analysis explores asymmetries within components of the current account and looks at some of the reasons why asymmetries occur.
Published in web format: 31 January 2005 at 2:30 pm