In September 2000, 189 U.N. member states and more than 25 international organizations of public and private scope, committed themselves to the complex cause of extreme poverty reduction on a global scale. It was informally spoken of as the largest collective impact agreement at the time, marking history. Although this article is not about the HDI, it however about what affects the HDI, namely the MDG. The period for the MDG has expired and some progress seemed to have been made. The article mentions the reduction in gender inequality in primary education and politics but also notes almost no change in secondary and further education. The UN is currently compiling the new set of goals. The policy has proved succesful and will hopefully encourage success in the future.

Germany has dropped its opposition to an EU trade deal with Canada despite continuing concerns over the inclusion of controversial investor protection rules. This is an example of an international trade agreement and how is can be difficult for governments to balance domestic politics with international politics.

India is experiencing a huge trade deficit and is now trying to reduce that by signing a deal with China to increase collaboration between the two countries. The deal will hopefully see more exports from India to China and break down chinese trade barriers to make access to the market better for India.

LONDON Nov 7 (Reuters) - Britain's goods trade deficit widened by more than expected in September, hit by a jump in oil imports and by weak export growth to the European Union, official data showed on Friday. This article paints a very clear picture about Britain's ever increasing manufacturing crisis. Britain has becomes a consumer nation, with little being produced that could reduce the current account deficit. The figures in the article show a continued increase in deficit which will have to lead to more borrowing to bridge the gap. To me this suggests that more has to be done to increase the balance of trade in goods through manufacturing and high end exports in goods.

Naira down almost 4 percent this year as oil prices fall. Due to a recent fail of major Nigerian banks lending of US dollar his high. The Central bank is trying to ease the pressure on the Naira but putting tighter regulations in place when it comes to borrowing foreign funds. This may be an attempt to reduce demand for dollar and decrease supply of Naira.

Foreign currency markets have always been a popular trading ground. However, towards the end of summer the picture looked oblique since volatility in exchange rates (rate of fluctuation in price) has been dropping, something that means less profits for traders. New regulations and restrictions as well as additional attention on the currency markets by regulators seems to be one of the causes for this. More over, low interest rates due to the recent crisis mean that currencies are not experiencing much change and have essentially flat lined. Most floating exchange rates appear to me fixed. This means lost revenue to banks and traders dealing in these markets.

BRUSSELS-The European Union could drop controversial investor-protection rules from its free-trade talks with the U.S., it is unlikely they do the same for its trade deal with Canada, its designated trade commissioner said. The deal is an important agreement between the states and the EU because it allows for faster and simpler trading between the countries. However, the debate has been intense around a specific clause which provides investors with additional protection which, if exploited, could allow them to potentially sue governments. The question is how free should the trade agreement be and what is the right level of government control.

This article talks about how economic growth on its own is not sufficient enough to battle extreme poverty. The world bank stresses that we need to reduce poverty, at a rate of 50 million a year until 2030. As we know fiscal policies can be used to stimulate growth but this is not the only use. We can also use them to redistribute income, which is necessary in this case. Further more monetary policy is not good enough in tackling these issues directly. Dedicated government spending and tax cuts on the poor are far better fiscal policies to deal with the issue.