International Trade: The Means of Trade | SparkNotes (2024)

Flows of Capital and Goods

In the first macroeconomics SparkNote on measuring the economy, we learned the identity Y = C + I + G + NX to describe the output of an economy. In this equation, Y is the nominal output, C is money spent on consumption, I is money spent on investment, G is money spent by the government, and NX is net exports or exports less imports. The sum of these costs is the total amount of both income and output in a country.

To understand how capital and goods flow in and out of countries, we should keep the Y = C + I + G + NX identity in mind. NX is of particular interest. NX is defined as the total amount of exports less the total amount of imports. NX is positive if a country exports more than it imports, negative if a country imports more than it exports, and zero if exports and imports are equal.

Let's work through each of these examples in turn. First we'll examine the simplest case, in which exports and imports are equal. In this example, there are two countries, Country A and Country B. If Country A exports 1 million dollars worth of coconuts to Country B and imports 1 million dollars worth of bananas from Country B, then the NX for both countries is equal to zero since exports equal imports. In this case, goods are traded for goods and at the end of the term, the trade balance is equal.

When countries import less than they export or import more than they export, the situation becomes significantly more complicated. Now let's examine the case when a country imports more than it exports. If Country A exports 0.5 million dollars worth of coconuts to Country B and imports 1 million dollars worth of bananas from Country B, then Country A has a negative trade balance, called a trade deficit. In this case, Country A owes Country B money for the imported bananas beyond the 0.5 million dollars worth of exported coconuts. If this is a short-term debt, nothing of consequence would occur since Country A has the ability to export more coconuts quickly to make up for the difference.

If the debt is long term, however, Country A must somehow repay Country B for the imported bananas. The easiest way to think of this exchange is to imagine Country A giving Country B interest in the future coconuts produced by Country A. To repay the debt that Country A owes to Country B, Country B becomes invested in Country A. Any amount of exports that exceeds the total amount of imports results in foreign investment. The opposite occurs when exports exceed imports as the exporting country becomes a foreign investor in the importing country.

This leads us to another important international trade identity: NX = NFI where NX is net exports or exports less imports and NFI is net foreign investment. Simply put, the difference between what a country exports and imports is equal to the amount of foreign investment. The trade balance can remain fairly even if a country imports more than it exports--it must make up the difference through foreign investment.

If net exports remain equal to net foreign investment, a few tendencies arise:

  • countries with few imports and many exports will tend to have significant foreign investment
  • countries with few exports and many imports will also tend to have significant foreign investment
  • countries with exports equal to imports will tend to have little investment in foreign countries and little foreign investment
  • Understanding the identity NX = NFI and the means by which capital and goods flow between countries helps to clarify the workings of international trade.
International Trade: The Means of Trade | SparkNotes (2024)

FAQs

What is international trade answers? ›

International trade is referred to as the exchange or trade of goods and services between different nations. This kind of trade contributes and increases the world economy. The most commonly traded commodities are television sets, clothes, machinery, capital goods, food, raw material, etc.

What are the 5 main reasons for international trade? ›

The five main reasons international trade takes place are differences in technology, differences in resource endowments, differences in demand, the presence of economies of scale, and the presence of government policies.

What is international trade quizlet? ›

International trade. is the exchange of goods and services between nations. International trade is necessary because of the interdependence of nations. It benefits consumers, producers, workers, and nations in different ways. Tariffs.

What is a trade answer in one sentence? ›

Trade is the activity of buying, selling, or exchanging goods or services between people, firms, or countries.

What is international trade in your own words? ›

International trade is the exchange of goods or services between countries. Free trade agreements facilitate international trade by reducing trade barriers that exist between two or more countries, usually by reducing tariffs (customs charges on goods crossing borders).

What are 3 benefits of international trade? ›

7 Key Benefits of International Trade
  • More Job Opportunities. ...
  • Expanding Target Markets & Increasing Revenues. ...
  • Improved Risk Management. ...
  • Greater Variety of Goods Available. ...
  • Better Relations Between Countries. ...
  • Enhanced Company Reputation. ...
  • Opportunities to Specialize.
Aug 31, 2022

What are the 3 importance of trade? ›

Trade is critical to America's prosperity - fueling economic growth, supporting good jobs at home, raising living standards and helping Americans provide for their families with affordable goods and services.

What is the main purpose of international trade? ›

International trade and the accompanying financial transactions are generally conducted for the purpose of providing a nation with commodities it lacks in exchange for those that it produces in abundance; such transactions, functioning with other economic policies, tend to improve a nation's standard of living.

What is an example of international trade? ›

Almost every kind of product can be found in the international market, for example: food, clothes, spare parts, oil, jewellery, wine, stocks, currencies, and water. Services are also traded, such as in tourism, banking, consulting, and transportation.

What is the best definition of trade? ›

noun. the act or process of buying, selling, or exchanging commodities, at either wholesale or retail, within a country or between countries: domestic trade; foreign trade. the act of buying, selling, or exchanging stocks, bonds, or currency: Stock brokerages typically charge a commission per trade.

What are the two main types of trade? ›

Generally, there are two types of trade—domestic and international. Domestic trades occur between parties in the same countries. International trade occurs between two or more countries. A country that places goods and services on the international market is exporting those goods and services.

What are the main types of trade? ›

There are two major types of trade both of which have two subparts as well: Domestic trade. Wholesale trade. Retail trade.

What are the 4 influences on international trade? ›

A country's balance of trade is defined by its net exports (exports minus imports) and is thus influenced by all the factors that affect international trade. These include factor endowments and productivity, trade policy, exchange rates, foreign currency reserves, inflation, and demand.

What is trade question and answer? ›

Solution. Buying and selling of goods and services are called trade.

What are the types of trade answer? ›

Trade, in general, is of two types. They are Internal trade and International trade.

What is the sentence of answer? ›

Verb She answered all my questions. He answered only three of the test questions correctly. When the police asked him his name, he refused to answer.

Why is international trade important for most countries? ›

Grows and Strengthen Markets

Another benefit of international trade is that it fuels competition, innovation, and economies of scale. Competition – Each nation has strengths in terms of resources like labor, materials, or knowledge, and they all can compete together in the world market for other nations' business.

How important is international trade quizlet? ›

Benefits of international trade: Consumers benefit with high-quality goods at lower prices. Producers improve profits be expanding their operations. Workers benefits with higher employment rates.

Who benefits of international trade? ›

Countries that are open to international trade tend to grow faster, innovate, improve productivity and provide higher income and more opportunities to their people. Open trade also benefits lower-income households by offering consumers more affordable goods and services.

What is the first benefits of international trade? ›

The first benefit of international trade is the opening of very wide job opportunities. This is because international trade helps generate more jobs through the development of new industries to meet product demand in various countries.

Which is the best advantage of international trade? ›

Availability of different types of goods and services – One of the major benefits of international trade is that it enables a country to obtain goods and services that it is unable to make on their own due to lack of resources or higher costs of production.

What is the most important trade? ›

Finished automobiles are the top good traded worldwide with $1.35 trillion being traded each year between countries.

What are the benefits of trade? ›

Trade allows U.S. consumers to buy a wider variety of goods at lower prices, raising real wages and helping families purchase more with their current incomes. This is especially important for middle-class consumers who spend a larger share of their disposable income on heavily- traded food and clothing items.

What is the most important in trading? ›

A trader needs to be able to control their emotions and stick to a trading plan and strategy. This is especially important in managing risk by using stop losses or taking profits at set points. Many strategies are designed so the trader loses a little in bad trades and systematically gains more on good trades.

What are the main components of international trade? ›

There are four major cost components in international trade, known as the “Four Ts”:
  • Transaction costs. The costs related to the economic exchange behind trade. ...
  • Tariff and non-tariff costs. Levies imposed by governments on a realized trade flow. ...
  • Transport costs. ...
  • Time costs.

Why is trade important is it important? ›

Trade allows consumers to buy products and services to which they would not otherwise have access.

What are the problems of international trade? ›

5 Common Challenges of International Business
  • Language Barriers. ...
  • Cultural Differences. ...
  • Managing Global Teams. ...
  • Currency Exchange and Inflation Rates. ...
  • Nuances of Foreign Politics, Policy, and Relations.
Nov 24, 2020

What are two international trade? ›

There are two main categories of international trade—classical, country-based and modern, firm-based.

What factors affect trade? ›

Factors affecting trade
  • Uneven distribution of natural resources.
  • Stage of industrial/economic development.
  • Differences in climate.
  • Differences in tradition of population.
  • Transportation.
  • Government policies.

Which is the most important factor affecting international trade? ›

1) Impact of Inflation:

Consumers and corporations in that country will most likely purchases more goods overseas (due to high local inflations), while the country's exports to other countries will decline.

What are the three elements of trade? ›

No matter how sophisticated a strategy is, or how extensive the available resources are, a trader must clearly define three distinct elements within the context of any trading plan: Market entry and exit. Risk. Psychology.

What is international trade summary? ›

Summary. International trade is an exchange of a good or service involving at least two different countries. Comparative advantage allows for gains from international trade, ultimately leading to increased consumption of goods. Two major protectionist trade policies are tariffs and import quotas.

Why is international trade important? ›

Trade is critical to America's prosperity - fueling economic growth, supporting good jobs at home, raising living standards and helping Americans provide for their families with affordable goods and services.

What are effects of international trade? ›

International trade tends to reduce the prices of consumption goods, creating welfare gains for consumers in importing countries. Welfare gains through reduced costs of consumption may be larger than gains or losses through income changes.

What is the conclusion of international trade? ›

Conclusion. Economic theory indicates that international trade raises the standard of living. A comparison between the performance of open and closed economies confirms that the benefits of trade in practice are significant.

What are the 4 types of trades? ›

  • Day Trading. Day trading is perhaps the most well-known active trading style. ...
  • Position Trading. Some actually consider position trading to be a buy-and-hold strategy and not active trading. ...
  • Swing Trading. When a trend breaks, swing traders typically get in the game. ...
  • Scalping.

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