In part B of Tables 2a and 2b in the U.S. International Transactions Accounts (ITAs), why have seasonally adjusted data for countries and areas been replaced with "n.a." (not available)?

With the release of the new presentation of the ITAs on June 18, 2014, BEA introduced a new presentation of seasonally adjusted trade in goods for selected countries and areas in Table 2.2. The data in Table 2.2 are based on a new methodology developed jointly by BEA and the U.S. Census Bureau to directly seasonally adjust trade data by country or geographic area rather than indirectly by commodity groups, as was done for part B of Tables 2a and 2b in the old presentation of the ITAs.

How can a new filer submit the 2014 BE-10 survey?

A new filer refers to a U.S. company or person that is required to file on the BE-10 survey but has never filed any BE survey of U.S. direct investment abroad, including the BE-10, BE-11 and BE-577 surveys. If you are a new filer for the BE-10 but have filed on the BE-11 or BE-577 surveys previously, we suggest that you file your BE-10 report electronically through BE’s eFile system.

What are the steps involved in setting up an eFile account for a new filer on the 2014 BE-10 survey, and how long does it take?

If you have determined that you are required to file the BE-10 survey and you have five or more foreign affiliates, these are the steps for creating an eFile account to file the BE-10 survey:

Step 1. Contact BEA at (301) 278-9418 and request a reporter ID, which is a six-digit ID unique to your company. You’ll be asked to provide the following information:

Are investments made as part of the EB-5 visa program included in BEA's Direct Investment Data?

Under the EB-5 program, foreigners who invest in job-creating businesses and projects in the United States receive conditional permanent resident status in the United States for a two-year period. After two years, if the immigrants have satisfied the conditions of the EB-5 Program and other criteria of eligibility, the conditions are removed and the immigrants become unconditional lawful permanent residents of the United States. The “Immigrant Investor Pilot Program” allocates EB-5 visas for foreigners investing in regional centers designated by the U.S.

How are the International Transactions Accounts affected by an increase in direct investment dividend receipts?

An increase in the amount of direct investment income repatriated as dividends will have little effect on the current or financial account balances of the U.S. International Transactions Accounts (ITAs). For each account, the net effect is limited to a small change related to foreign taxes withheld on the increased dividends. Much larger, nearly offsetting flows are spread across several different components of the accounts.  

How can the United States direct investment position abroad or the foreign direct investment position in the United States be negative?

The U.S. direct investment position abroad measures the net financial claims that U.S. parent companies have on their foreign affiliates (that is, the financial claims that U.S. companies have on their foreign affiliates net of the claims that the affiliates have on their U.S. parent companies). A negative position means that U.S. parent companies are in a net liability position toward their foreign affiliates. This may occur for several reasons; most commonly, a U.S.