The International Market

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The International Market

The importance of international trade

The reason countries trade

 additional income from sale of goods/services

selling overseas bring in money to by from other countries

quality of live of all countries involved can be improved

foreign trade = buying and selling of goods /services between different counties in the world

Import = bought from other country – outflow of funds

Export = sold to other country – inflow of funds

Visible trade = import and export of goods

Invisible trade = import and export of services (tourism, transport, insurance…)

principle of comparative costs:

Difference between climate or natural resources  countries have to trade in order to obtain goods which they cannot produce themselves

 specialisation and differentiation in commodities for which they have a comparative advantage (low production costs)

 import commodities from countries where production is comparative cheaper

Balance of trade (trade gap)

= records the value of countries’ imports and exports

favourable – when exports exceed imports ( surplus has been created)

adverse (unfavourable) – when imports exceed exports ( deficit has been created)

Balance of payment

visibles = goods

invisibles = services

= a statement of the difference in total value of all payments made to other countries and the total payment received from them

 includes visibles and invisibles

 shows weather the country is making a profit or a loss in its dealings with other countries

favourable – net inflow of capital (country has earned more than it spent)

adverse – net outflow (country has spent more than it has earned)

current account = records trade in goods and services

capital account = records flows for investment and saving purposes

Correcting a balance of trade deficit

temporary measures:

• borrowing from International Monetary Fund (IMF)

• obtaining loans from abroad

• drawing on gold and currency reserves

• selling off foreign assets

!!!increase in exports!!!

 government: offering incentives to firms (tax relief, special credit facilities, subsidies)

Devaluation

= lowering the value of currency in relation to other currencies

 makes imported goods more expensive and exports cheaper

Deflation

 if people’s income or its spending power is reduced they will buy fewer products (imports)

 wage rise controls, restricting credit and hire purchase, increasing interest rates, increasing taxes

Exchange control

= Central bank places a limit on the amounts of foreign currency hat can be bought

supply of domestic currency on the market is reduced  raising in the price of the currency

Import control

= use of tariffs and quotas

tariff = a duty or tax on imports to increase their costs and discourage purchase

quota = numerical limit on the numbers of a commodity which can be imported

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