balance of payments

noun phrase

: a summary of the international transactions of a country or region over a period of time including commodity and service transactions, capital transactions, and gold movements

Examples of balance of payments in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web China’s direct investment liabilities in its balance of payments stood at $33 billion last year, according to data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange released Sunday. Bloomberg, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024 Direct investment liabilities, a measure of FDI reflected in a country’s balance of payments, fell to just $4.9 billion in the April to June months, according to data published in August by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Emiko Jozuka, CNN, 20 Oct. 2023 Before Alibaba opened its site in 2021, former Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès said the hub would increase the country’s exports to China, helping to improve the country’s balance of payments, The Brussels Times reported. Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2023 Direct investment liabilities, a measure of FDI reflected in a country’s balance of payments, fell to just $4.9 billion in the April to June months, down 87% from a year earlier, according to data published by SAFE last month. Laura He, CNN, 19 Sep. 2023 The agreement provided for both a reserve currency, the U.S. dollar, to which other currencies within the system were pegged, and an international mechanism to extend loans to countries running deficits in their balances of payments. Suzanne Berger, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2018 Sharif, whose government is desperately struggling to stave off a balance of payments crisis, thanked the Chinese partners for offering a $100-million discount for the latest project. Reuters, CNN, 20 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'balance of payments.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1770, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of balance of payments was in 1770

Dictionary Entries Near balance of payments

Cite this Entry

“Balance of payments.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balance%20of%20payments. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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