>One question for the list: does anyone know of a ready source for the net
>international investment positions of the world's major economies?
In one of its few services to humanity, the IMF now publishes this in the monthly International Financial Statistics. Here's what I computed about six weeks ago for the paperback edition of Wall Street (due next month!):
NET FOREIGN ASSETS
1981 1985 1990 1993 1996 % of GDP U.S. +12.3% +3.4% -5.3% -8.7% -10.9% France +11.6% +1.0% -5.7% -8.3% -2.3% U.K. +11.9% +22.4% -0.8% +3.2% +0.7% Germany +4.0% +9.0% +21.8% +13.0% +7.8% Japan +1.0% +10.0% +10.3% +14.4% +19.4%
US$ billion U.S. 374.3 139.1 -291.9 -555.7 -831.3 France 56.4 6.1 -71.2 -98.7 -35.2 U.K. 62.2 104 -8.9 30.1 8.0 Germany 29.2 53.3 356.8 211.6 187.4 Japan 10.9 129.8 328.1 610.8 891.0
GDP in national currency converted to US$ at market exchange rates; investment position was expressed by the IMF in US$.
Doug