current accountflash estimatebalance of paymentsstatisticsstatistical release

The surplus on the current account in August was the largest this year

Postitatud:

14.10.2016

The flash estimate1 put the Estonian current account at 98 million euros in surplus in August 2016. The surplus on the goods and services account was 139 million euros, which was 36 million euros more than at the same time a year earlier. The growth of 12% in goods exports was faster than the 9% in imports, and this reduced the deficit on the goods account to 33 million euros. One factor that raised activity levels in the external economy was that there were more working days in August 2016 than there were in the previous August. Both exports and imports of services were up 8% and the surplus on the services account widened to 172 million euros. Exports of services were brought down by transport services and boosted by travel services and other services, while imports of all the main types of services increased. The net outflow on the primary and secondary income accounts totalled 41 million euros, which was 5 million euros more than at the same time a year earlier.

The sum total of the current and capital accounts was 110 million euros in August. This means that the Estonian economy was a net lender to the rest of the world, so the country as a whole invested more resources abroad than it received from there.

1 The quarterly balance of payments is compiled from a combined system of representative primary data sources, including surveys of companies, while the monthly balance of payments draws from a considerably smaller database. Although the monthly report uses as much data available for the month reported as possible, including administrative data sources and reports on international payments, it is subjective to a certain degree, which is why it is called an estimate. Once the quarterly balance of payments is released, the monthly balances of payments are adjusted accordingly. For more on the principles used in compiling the flash estimate, see http://statistika.eestipank.ee/failid/mbo/kiir_mb_eng.html

Additional information:
Sünne Korasteljov
Eesti Pank Statistics Department
Telephone: 668 0906
Email: [email protected]