Eurozone current account surplus fell slightly in September

According to the report from European Central Bank (ECB), the current account of the euro area recorded a surplus of €28 billion in September 2019, compared with a surplus of €29 billion in August 2019. Surpluses were recorded for goods (€27 billion), services (€10 billion) and primary income (€4 billion). These were partly offset by a deficit for secondary income (€13 billion).

In the 12 months to September 2019, the current account recorded a surplus of €321 billion (2.7% of euro area GDP), compared with a surplus of €378 billion (3.3% of euro area GDP) in the 12 months to September 2018. This decline was mainly driven by a smaller surplus for services (down from €118 billion to €77 billion) and a larger deficit for secondary income (up from €139 billion to €160 billion). These developments were partly offset by a bigger surplus for goods (up from €315 billion to €321 billion), while the surplus for primary income remained stable over the same periods at €84 billion.

In the financial account, euro area residents made net acquisitions of foreign portfolio investment securities totalling €234 billion in the 12-month period to September 2019 (down from €335 billion in the 12 months to September 2018). Over the same period, non-residents made net acquisitions of euro area portfolio investment securities amounting to €246 billion (up from €141 billion).