The correct option is A debit item because foreign exchange flows out of India..
Explanation
The Balance of Payments (BoP) is a systematic record of all economic transactions between the residents of a country and the rest of the world. It operates on the principle of double-entry bookkeeping, where transactions are categorized based on the flow of foreign exchange:
- Credit Items (Inflows): Transactions that bring foreign exchange into the country (e.g., exports, foreign investment in India).
- Debit Items (Outflows): Transactions that result in foreign exchange leaving the country (e.g., imports, Indian investment abroad).
Analysis of the Transaction
The question refers to the purchase of foreign assets by an Indian resident. To acquire an asset abroad (such as property, shares, or bonds), the Indian resident must make a payment to the foreign entity.
- Direction of Flow: This payment necessitates the transfer of funds from India to the foreign country, resulting in an outflow of foreign exchange.
- Classification: Because the transaction causes money to leave the domestic economy, it is recorded as a debit item in the Capital Account.
- Asset Creation: Although the transaction creates an asset for the Indian resident (a claim on the rest of the world), the BoP recording is determined by the monetary flow, which is negative (outward) in this case.
Key Takeaway
In Balance of Payments accounting, the purchase of assets abroad by domestic residents leads to an outflow of foreign currency and is therefore recorded as a Debit item.