18 April 2024
- Current account recorded €29 billion surplus in February 2024, down from €39 billion in previous month
- Current account surplus amounted to €288 billion (2.0% of euro area GDP) in the 12 months to February 2024, after a €95 billion deficit (0.7%) one year earlier
- In financial account, euro area residents’ net acquisitions of non-euro area portfolio investment securities totalled €443 billion and non-residents’ net acquisitions of euro area portfolio investment securities totalled €614 billion in the 12 months to February 2024
Chart 1
Euro area current account balance
(EUR billions unless otherwise indicated; working day and seasonally adjusted data)
Source: ECB.
The current account of the euro area recorded a surplus of €29 billion in February 2024, a decrease of €10 billion from the previous month (Chart 1 and Table 1). Surpluses were recorded for goods (€34 billion) and services (€ 7 billion). Deficits were recorded for secondary income (€ 9 billion) and primary income (€ 2 billion).
Table 1
Current account of the euro area
Source: ECB.
Note: Discrepancies between totals and their components may be due to rounding.
Data for the current account of the euro area
In the 12 months to February 2024, the current account recorded a surplus of €288 billion (2.0% of euro area GDP), compared with a deficit of €95 billion (0.7% of euro area GDP) one year earlier. This development in the current account balance was mainly driven by a switch from a deficit (€69 billion) to a surplus (€309 billion) for goods, and, to a lesser extent also by a switch from a deficit (€1 billion) to a surplus (€24 billion) for primary income, and by a smaller deficit for secondary income (down from €163 billion to €159 billion). These developments were partly offset by a reduction in the surplus for services (down from €137 billion to €114 billion).
Chart 2
Selected items of the euro area financial account
(EUR billions; 12-month cumulated data)
Source: ECB. Notes: For assets, a positive (negative) number indicates net purchases (sales) of non-euro area instruments by euro area investors. For liabilities, a positive (negative) number indicates net sales (purchases) of euro area instruments by non-euro area investors.
In direct investment, euro area residents made net disinvestments of €375 billion in non-euro area assets in the 12 months to February 2024, up from net disinvestments of €69 billion one year earlier (Chart 2 and Table 2). Non-residents disinvested €413 billion in net terms from euro area assets in the 12 months to February 2024, up from net disinvestments of €339 billion one year earlier.
In portfolio investment, euro area residents’ net purchases of non-euro area equity amounted to €25 billion in the 12 months to February 2024, after net sales of €167 billion one year earlier. Over the same period, net purchases of non-euro area debt securities by euro-area residents amounted to €419 billion, after net sales of €7 billion one year earlier. Non-residents’ net purchases of euro area equity increased to €220 billion in the 12 months to February 2024, up from €72 billion one year earlier. Over the same period, non-residents made net purchases of euro area debt securities amounting to €394 billion, up from €92 billion one year earlier.
Table 2
Financial account of the euro area
Source: ECB.
Notes: Decreases in assets and liabilities are shown with a minus sign. Net financial derivatives are reported under assets. “MFIs” stands for monetary financial institutions. Discrepancies between totals and their components may be due to rounding.
Data for the financial account of the euro area
In other investment, euro area residents recorded net acquisitions of non-euro area assets amounting to €193 billion in the 12 months to February 2024 (following net disposals of €129 billion one year earlier), while they recorded net disposals of liabilities of €165 billion (slightly down from €166 billion one year earlier).
Chart 3
Monetary presentation of the balance of payments
(EUR billions; 12-month cumulated data)
Source: ECB. Notes: “MFI net external assets (enhanced)” incorporates an adjustment to the MFI net external assets (as reported in the consolidated MFI balance sheet items statistics) based on information on MFI long-term liabilities held by non-residents, available in b.o.p. statistics. B.o.p. transactions refer only to transactions of non-MFI residents of the euro area. Financial transactions are shown as liabilities net of assets. “Other” includes financial derivatives and statistical discrepancies.
The monetary presentation of the balance of payments (Chart 3) shows that the net external assets (enhanced) of euro area MFIs increased by €468 billion in the 12 months to February 2024. This increase was mainly driven by the current and capital accounts surplus and, to a lesser extent, by euro area non-MFIs’ net inflows in portfolio investment debt, other investment, and portfolio investment equity. These developments were partly offset by euro area non-MFIs’ net outflows in direct investment and other flows.
In February 2024 the Eurosystem’s stock of reserve assets slightly decreased to €1,156.1 billion down from €1,158.1 billion in the previous month (Table 3). This decrease was driven by negative price changes (€2.4 billion) and negative exchange rate changes (€0.3 billion) which were partly offset by net acquisitions of assets (€0.9 billion).
Table 3
Reserve assets of the euro area
Source: ECB.
Notes: “Other reserve assets” comprises currency and deposits, securities, financial derivatives (net) and other claims. Discrepancies between totals and their components may be due to rounding.
Data for the reserve assets of the euro area
Data revisions
This press release incorporates revisions to the data for January 2024. These revisions did not significantly alter the figures previously published.
Next releases:
- Monthly balance of payments: 21 May 2024 (reference data up to March 2024)
- Quarterly balance of payments: 04 July 2024 (reference data up to the first quarter of 2024)
For media queries, please contact Philippe Rispal, tel.: +49 69 1344 5482.
Notes
- Current account data are always seasonally and working day-adjusted, unless otherwise indicated, whereas capital and financial account data are neither seasonally nor working day-adjusted.
- Hyperlinks in this press release lead to data that may change with subsequent releases as a result of revisions.
