Dividends paid abroad led to a current account deficit in April 2011

Balance of payments - Older news Statistics Wednesday 15 June 2011, 10:00 AM

Current account

The current account posted a deficit of nearly EUR 0.8 bn in April 2011. A year earlier, the current account deficit had been slightly above EUR 0.1 bn.

  • The net outflow of dividends from portfolio investment in Finland amounted to EUR 1 bn, up EUR 0.2 bn from a year ago.
  • April, the goods account in balance of payments statistics was almost in balance, as the surplus amounted to EUR 0.04 bn. In April 2010, there had been a EUR 0.4 bn surplus on goods.
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Finland's current accoutn and trade account

Financial account

Net capital outflows totalled EUR 0.6 bn.

  • Net direct investment outflows amounted to EUR 1.4 bn.
  • Net portfolio investment outflows amounted to EUR 5.2 bn.
  • As regards other investment (loans, deposits and trade credits), net capital inflows amounted to EUR 5.6 bn.

Portfolio investments

Net international investment position at end of April

Foreign assets exceeded foreign liabilities by EUR 19 bn.

  • Finnish residents’ foreign assets amounted to EUR 571 bn.
  • Finnish residents’ foreign liabilities amounted to EUR 552 bn.
Foreign net liabilities excluding equity items totalled EUR 48 bn.
 

Finland's net international investment position

 

Finland's balance of payments
Year 2010,
EUR million		 March 2011,
EUR million		 April 2011,
EUR million		 12 month moving sum, EUR million
Current account 5,574 -496 -752 4,997
    Goods 3,352 -321 41 3,162
    Services 2,131 20 28 2,042
    Income 1,723 -46 -678 1,398
    Current transfers -1,632 -148 -143 -1,605
Capital account 178 15 13 176
Financial account -1,231 -183 -570 -4,346
    Direct investment -3,073 -55 -1,374 -5,476
    Portfolio investment -6,158 1,671 -5,176 -10,975
    Other investment 6,702 -990 5,644 12,505
    Reserve assets 1,661 -495 151 557
    Financial derivatives -362 -314 184 -958
Errors and omissions -4,521 663 1,309 -827
The statistics become final more than two years after the end of the reference year.


More information
Jaakko Suni tel. +358 10 831 2454, email firstname.lastname(at)bof.fi

The next balance of payments bulletin will be published at 10 am on 15 July 2011.

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