Final answer:
To calculate the ending balance for retained earnings, a reconciliation involving the beginning balance, net income, and dividends is needed. The information provided focuses on trade balances rather than retained earnings, hence the correct computation cannot be provided. For the trade balances, such as merchandise balance and current account balance, total exports and imports as well as other transactions would need to be considered.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating the Ending Balance for Retained Earnings
To compute the ending balance at December 31 for retained earnings, a reconciliation that considers beginning retained earnings, net income, and any dividends paid during the period is necessary. Unfortunately, the information provided does not directly relate to the calculation of retained earnings, but appears to focus on international trade and accounting for exports and imports within a current account balance.
If you have information on the beginning balance of retained earnings, net income or net loss, and dividends paid for the period, you can calculate the ending retained earnings using the following formula:
Ending Retained Earnings = Beginning Retained Earnings + Net Income/Loss - Dividends Paid
To calculate the merchandise balance, you subtract total imports from total exports. The current account balance includes the merchandise balance along with other factors such as services, income, and current transfers. Without specific figures for these categories, we are unable to provide an accurate computation.