Figure 1

The current and capital account balances are mirror images of each other, and are not particularly high in relation to the size of the U.S. economy

Current and capital account balances as a share of GDP

Get the dataDownload image
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts.
The capital account is depicted as being a surplus even though the National Income and Product Accounts report a net negative balance. This is because the NIPA reports the balance in terms of net lending (+) and borrowing (-). Thus, a net negative balance on the NIPA tables means more capital came into the United States than went out on net.