Thursday, May 15, 2014

Unit 7



Chapter 29- Specialization and Trade
Specialization

  • Occurs when productive agents use resources to focus on producing one or a few products at which they are suited best
International Trade

  • Occurs when buyers and sellers in two nations exchange with one another
  • Closed economy when it neither imports nor exports products
  • Open economy when both imports and exports products

Cost Ratio

  • Provides a method of comparing opportunity costs in producing certain items
Output Problem Approach

  • Based on the most of an item each producer could make if it specializes using a set amount of resources 
Input Problem Approach 

  • Based on the least resources each producer needs to make a set amount of an item 
Rules of Specialization

  • Producers should specialize in making a product only when their cost ratio of doing so is less than that of their trading partners
  • No advantage rule states that nations should not specialize or trade if neither trading partner possesses a cost advantage in producing either products
  • Absolute advantage rule states that two countries should specialize and trade when each partner has an output advantage over the other
  • Comparative advantage rule states that two countries should specialize and trade, even if one produces more output of both products, as long as each partner has a cost advantage over the other
Trade Possibilities Curve

  • Shows the amount of two items a country can obtain by specializing in one and trading for the other
The Balance of Payments

o   A nation’s balance of payments is the sum of all the transactions that take place between its residents and the residents of all foreign nations.
§  Exports and Imports of Goods, Exports and Imports of Services, tourist expenditures, interest and dividends received or paid abroad, and purchases and sales of financial or real assets abroad
o   The US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis complies the balance-of-payments statement each year.
§  Shows all the payments a nation receives from foreign countries and all the payments it makes to them.
o   Three Components
§  The Current Account
·         The current account summarizes U.S. trade in currently produced goods and services
·         US Exports have a plus (+) sign – they credit and create revenue
·         US Imports have a minus (-) sign – they are debit and reduce the stock of foreign currencies in the United States
·         Balance on Goods
o   A country’s balance of trade on goods is the difference between its exports and its imports of goods
·         Balance on Services
o   Services include insurance, consulting, travel, and brokerage services
·         Balance on Goods & Services
o   The difference between U.S. exports of goods and services and U.S. imports of goods and services
§  Trade deficit – imports > exports
§  Trade surplus – exports > imports
·         Balance on Current Account
o   Represents the net investment income, represents the difference between
§  1. The interest and dividend payments foreigners paid the United States for the use of exported U.S. capital
§  2. The interest and dividends the United States paid for the use of foreign capital invested in the United States
o   Includes Net transfers and Net investment Income
§  Net Transfers include foreign aid, pensions paid to U.S. citizens living abroad, and remittances by immigrants to relatives abroad
·         “The exporting of goodwill and the importing of ‘thank-you notes’.”
o   By adding all transactions in the current account, obtain the balance on current account
§  The Capital Account
·         The capital account summarizes the purchase or sale of real or financial assets and the corresponding flows of monetary payments that accompany them.
o   Items (an office building or bonds) bought from the U.S. count as exports (+) as they represent in--payments of foreign currencies
§  Key Point – foreign purchases of assets in the U.S.
o   Items located in foreign countries and sold to companies in that country count as imports (-) as they represent out-payments of domestic currencies
§  Key Point- U.S. purchases of assets abroad
·         Exports and Imports balance on the balance on capital account
§  The Official Reserves Account
·         The central banks of nations hold quantities of foreign currencies called official reserves.
·         Functions just the same as reserves in any other bank
·         Basically used to make up any final balancing amount
o   Putting it all Together
§  The three components of the balance of payments (the current account, the capital account, and the official reserves account) must together equal zero.
§  Every unit of foreign exchange used (as reflected in a minus out-payment or debit transaction) must have source (a plus in-payment or credit transaction)
o   Payments Deficits and Surpluses
§  Balance-of-payments deficits and surpluses, though the balance of payments must always sum to zero, this refers to imbalances between the current and capital accounts
·         The US favors balance-of-payments deficits – a drawing down of official reserves

·         A balance-of-payments surplus is a building up of official reserves
A BOB "Chart"

Assets/Creditr (Inflow)
Debits/Liabilities (Outflow)
Current Account


-Balance on goods and services
-Net exports
-Balance of trade
-Exports
-Tourism here
-Imports
-Tourism there
Net Investments
-Interest/dividend payments
-Foreign ppay to U.S. for use of exported capital
-Interest/dividend payments
-The U.S. made for the use foreign capital invested in U.S.
Net Transfers
-Aid to U.S.
-Include royalties
-Aid to their country
-Their royalties
Financial Account
-Capital inflows
-Direct investment by foreigners
-Purchases of stocks and bonds by foreigners
-Capital ooutflows
-Direct investment by U.S. over there
-Purchases of stocks and bonds by U.S.
Official Reserves
-Currencies
-Gold
-IMF
-Currencies
-Gold
-IMF

Comparative and Absolute Advantage

  • The division of labor into specific task and roles intended to increase the productivity of workers is called known specialization
  • Globalization is the process of increasing the productivity and interdependence of the world's markets and businesses
  • Absolute advantage refers to a country's ability to produce a certain more of a good or service than another country
  • The absolute advantage rule states that two countries should specialize and trade when each other partner has an output advantage over the other
  • Comparative advantage refers to a country's ability to produce a particular good with a lower opportunity cost than another country
  • Gains from trade or based on comparative advantage, not absolute advantage
  • Comparative advantage is the basis for all trade between individuals, regions, and nations
The Foreign Exchange Market

  • A foreign exchange market is a market in which currencies are exchanged for one another
  • The equilibrium prices in these markets are called exchange rates
  • The rate at which the currency of one nation can be exchanged for the currency of another nation
  • Depreciation and Appreciation: an increase in the U.S. demand for Japanese goods will increase the demand for yen and raise the dollar price of yen

Supply of the Dollar
Demand of the Dollar
-Comes from U.S. citizens, banks, and industries wanting to purchase foreign goods, investments assets and to make payments to transfer foreigners
-Comes from foreigners, banks, and industries wanting to purchase our goods, investments, assets, and to make transferred payments to U.S.


  • 5 Determinants of Supply and Demand in Foreign Exchange Market
  1. Change in buyers taste
  2. Change in relative incomes
  3. Change in relative prices
  4. Change in interest rates
  5. Change in expectations
Exchange Currencies

  • Sell exports and buy imports
  • Invest in a countries stocks and bonds
  • Build stores and factories in other markets
  • Hold currencies in bank accounts for future exports, imports, and business loans 
  • To speculate on currency values
Flexible and Fixed Exchange Rate
Here is a video on fixed exchange rates!

  • Flexible: determined by market forces with little or no government intervention
  • Fixed: determined and periodically adjusted by government



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