Portfolio Investment, Debits

Portfolio Investment, Debits captures the outflows of cross-border transactions in equity and debt securities issued abroad and purchased by residents, without conferring significant control or influence (typically less than 10% of voting power). Recorded in the financial account of the balance of payments on a BPM6 basis, it is presented as net acquisition of assets ("Activos"). This Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) indicator is part of the Latin Macro Watch, the IDB's harmonized macroeconomic database for Latin America and the Caribbean, helping analysts track residents' demand for foreign securities.

Coverage

Data are available for 15 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean at annual, monthly, and quarterly frequency, covering 1994–2026. Values can be viewed in millions of USD, as a percentage of GDP, or year-to-date (YTD), with moving-average (MA3, MA6, MA12) and growth-rate (MoM %, QoQ %, YoY %) transformations.

Sources

Figures are compiled from official national authorities, including Banco Central do Brasil, Banco de Mexico (Banxico), Banco de la República de Colombia, Bank of Jamaica, and INDEC - Argentina, among other central banks and statistics agencies in the region.

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Format	CSV
Language	en
Country	Argentina Bahamas Trinidad & Tobago Belize Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia El Salvador Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Panama Uruguay Venezuela Barbados Paraguay Peru Suriname
Data notes	What does Portfolio Investment, Debits measure? It measures the outflows of cross-border transactions in equity and debt securities issued abroad and purchased by residents, without conferring significant control or influence (typically under 10% of voting power). It is recorded in the financial account of the balance of payments. How many countries and time periods are covered? The indicator covers 15 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, with annual, monthly, and quarterly frequencies spanning 1994 to 2026. What units and transformations are available? Values are available in millions of USD, as a percentage of GDP, and year-to-date (YTD). Transformations include moving averages (MA3, MA6, MA12) and growth rates (MoM %, QoQ %, YoY %). Where does the data come from? Data are compiled from official national authorities such as Banco Central do Brasil, Banco de Mexico (Banxico), Banco de la República de Colombia, Bank of Jamaica, and INDEC - Argentina, harmonized by the IDB in the Latin Macro Watch. How is this indicator typically used? Economists, investors, and policymakers use it to assess residents' acquisition of foreign securities, gauge capital outflows, and analyze balance-of-payments dynamics across Latin America and the Caribbean. How do I cite this indicator? Cite as: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Latin Macro Watch — "Portfolio Investment, Debits." data.iadb.org/dataset/latin-macro-watch-dataset.