Explain Why Goals to Eliminate a Current Account Deficit Require

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The Answer is Under the gold standard, a country's currency was backed by a specific amount of gold, and international trade balances were settled in gold. This meant that a country with a current account deficit, meaning it was importing more goods and services than it was exporting, would have to pay for the difference in gold. In order to do so, the country would need to deflate its economy, meaning it would need to reduce domestic consumption and investment in order to reduce imports and increase exports. This would lead to a decrease in the money supply and a decrease in the price level, ultimately helping to eliminate the current account deficit.

On the other hand, a country with a current account surplus, meaning it was exporting more than it was importing, would receive gold in exchange for its exports. This increase in gold reserves would lead to an increase in the money supply and an increase in the price level, ultimately leading to inflation.

In summary, under the gold standard, the need to settle trade balances in gold meant that countries with current account deficits would need to deflate their economies to eliminate the deficit, while countries with current account surpluses would experience inflation due to the increase in their gold reserves.

Explain Why Goals to Eliminate a Current Account Deficit Require

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