Economic Definition of current account deficit. Defined.
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Term current account deficit Definition: An imbalance in a nation's balance of payments current account in which payments received by the country for selling domestic exports are less than payments made by the country for purchasing imports. In other words, imports (of goods and services) by the domestic economy are greater than exports (of goods and services). This is generally a not desireable situation for a domestic economy. However, in the wacky world of international economics, a current account deficit is often balanced by a capital account surplus, which is generally considered a desireable situation. If, however, the capital account does not balance out the current account, then a current account deficit contributes to a balance of payments deficit.
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