For theWeek 8 Critical Thinking Exercise, youwillreview trade balances using the Economist publication (see graphic below) for major global economics for at least four countries and discuss the following data items below relative to trends observed and any reasons you believe this is occurring based on research of these economies and their characteristics relative to production and consumption trends.

• Trade Balance
• Current Account Balance
• Currency Units per US Dollar
• Interest Rates
• Budget Balance

The submission should include a detailed written response reporting on trade policies and areas of comparative advantage in production.

Task 1:Create a new discussion topicon or before Friday at 11:55 p.m.byclicking the '**REPLY HERE**' post. In your reply, you will post your answersto the Week 8 Critical Thinking Exercise questions.Yourresponse to the exercise questions should be aminimumof150 words.Going over the minimum word length requirement is acceptable; however, I am not looking for 1000+ words!It is suggested that you use MS Word or another word processing application that can check spelling/grammar and can show the word count.

Task 2:After you have created your new discussion topic, you are required to read and respond to a minimum of 2 of your classmates discussion topics.Each of your responses should be aminimumof50 words.Think of your responses in terms of a contribution to a dialogue, not a writing exercise or a chat room.Elaborate a single idea and keep your post short but concise as if you were holding a conversation with your classmate(s).Incorporate what you have learned from the weekly reading material and from your own real-world experiences.