A record current account deficit: Causes and implications
The U.S. current account deficit was at a record level in 1999 and is expected to
increase further in 2000. How large can this deficit get? Will an eventual adjustment
in the deficit place the U.S. economy at risk? This article examines three arguments often
put forth to explain the increase in the deficit.a consumption boom, the U.S. as a safe
haven for short-term foreign capital, and technological change affecting the U.S. economy.
The authors find the strongest evidence in support of technological change and suggest why,
under these conditions, an economic adjustment to the deficit need not have as adverse an
impact as some observers fear.
