Foreign trade balance
The first subsection of the current account is the foreign trade balance. IMF recommends evaluate and export and import of uniform - the price at the border of the exporting economy. Thus, to assess and export and import prices should be used FOB. Often, in practice, data on imports are known in the prices of CIF, in which case the balance of payments is introduced the amendments. This amendment is for countries such as USA, Germany, France was in the late 90-ies from 3 to 4% of total imports in prices FOB. At the same time for Japan, the island state, the foreign trade of which the share of maritime transport is significant, it was significantly higher (10%).