Current Account Balance in France

The section of France's balance of payments covering cross-border trade in goods and services, primary income (labour and investment income) and current transfers without a quid pro quo (remittances, aid). It is published by the Banque de France.

It is the sum of the goods, services, primary income and current transfers balances. A positive figure is a current-account surplus, a negative one a deficit. The Banque de France publishes it monthly, in billions of euros and seasonally adjusted.

A deficit has to be financed by capital inflows or by running down external assets, and it reflects France's position vis-à-vis the rest of the world. Persistent deficits can weigh on the euro over the medium term, though the market impact of the French release is usually modest.

The figures come out with almost a two-month lag and are frequently revised; the monthly balance is volatile and can be heavily swayed by one-off income or trade items.