The ECB publishes a monthly balance of payments (b.o.p.) for the euro area, showing the main transactions between euro area residents and residents of countries outside the euro area. The monthly b.o.p. is supplemented by more detailed quarterly and annual statistics. A consistent methodological framework allows the analysis of monetary and b.o.p. statistics for the euro area to be integrated. The monetary presentation of the b.o.p., which the ECB has published since June 2003, provides a link between the foreign transactions of parties other than banks in the euro area and the money supply in the euro area.

In addition, the ECB publishes monthly statistics on its and the Euro system’s international reserves and foreign currency liquidity, and annual statistics on the international investment position (i.i.p.) of the euro area, which provides an overall picture of the euro area’s claims on and liabilities to the rest of the world. The aggregates covering the euro area include credits and debits and assets and liabilities separately. In contrast to national b.o.p./i.i.p. which include all transactions and positions of a national economy, i.e. including those vis-à-vis other residents of the euro area, the euro area countries report transactions and positions with residents in countries outside the euro area as a contribution to the aggregates. The ECB also compiles statistics on the international role of the euro and effective exchange rate indices for the euro, in nominal and real terms, using various deflators.

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