This paper analyzes line-by-line the tables that represent the Balance of Payments and show the amount of money received
from other parts of the world and the amount spent abroad. The author concludes that the
recession of 2001 had only a marginal impact on the trade
deficit, mostly because the rest of the world had weakened along with the U.S.. Table of Content Introduction Item Analysis Current Account Capital Account What the Balance of Payments Says About the Economy Balance of Payments in 2000 and 2001 Year 2000 Balance of Payments Data -- 2000 and 2001($millions) Comparison of U.S. Balance of Payments Current Account Data Line 18-38 Comparison of U.S. Balance of Payments Data Capital Account Analysis