什么是国际收支

两个国家的居民（包括政府）在特定的时期中所有经济交易的系统记录。这些交易以复式计帐法的形式呈现。比如说，美国的国际收支记录着，藉由过美国进口商品、美国游客在国外的花费，以及外国人的借贷等等让外国人取得美金的各种不同管道。这些支出陈列在收支表的贷方一栏。借方一栏则陈列着各种外国储存美金的不同用途，包括支付给美国出口的货品、支付美国的债务利息等这一类。外国可能拥有－－比起他们必需支付给美国的货品与劳务－－还要多的美金；他们可以持有这些盈余，或着赚买黄金、或着购买证卷。外国也有可能拥有－－比起他们需要支付给美国的货品与劳务－－还要少的美元，而可能藉由转售黄金、出售在美国的证卷等，以获得补贴的美元。某几种资金调度的形态（如大量黄金的外流）作为支付国外债务的手投，比起其他几种（比如说，转换藉由国际贸易取得的货币），更不受到欢迎。国际货币基金会协助处理关於国际收支的相关争端。亦请参阅balance of trade。

balance of payments

Systematic record of all economic transactions during a given period between residents (including the government) of one country and residents (including the governments) of other countries. The transactions are presented in the form of double-entry bookkeeping. The U.S. balance of payments, for example, records the various ways in which dollars are made available to foreigners through U.S. imports, U.S. tourist spending abroad, foreign lending, and so on. These expenditures are shown on the debit side of the balance. The credit side shows the various uses to which foreigners put their dollars, including paying for U.S. exports, servicing debts to the U.S., and the like. Foreign countries may acquire more dollars than they need to spend on U.S. goods and services and may hold the surplus or purchase gold or securities; or they may have fewer dollars than they need to purchase U.S. goods and services, and may acquire additional dollars by transferring gold, selling holdings in the U.S., and so on. Certain forms of transferring funds (e.g., large outflows of gold) are less desirable as a way of settling foreign debts than others (e.g., transfers of currency acquired through international trade). The International Monetary Fund helps address problems relating to balance of payments. See also balance of trade.