Changes in the national incomes of our trading partners would directly affect our:

• A. domestic investment
• B. imports
• C. government spending
• D. exports

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the relationship between national incomes of trading partners and trade flows. When the income of a trading partner changes, it affects their demand for goods and services, including those imported from our country.
2. Step 2: Recognize that domestic investment and government spending are primarily influenced by internal factors such as interest rates, fiscal policy, and domestic economic conditions, rather than foreign incomes.
3. Step 3: Imports depend mainly on domestic income and prices, because they reflect the demand of our residents for foreign goods, not the income of foreign countries.
4. Step 4: Exports, on the other hand, are goods and services sold to other countries. If the national income of our trading partners increases, their demand for our exports typically rises, and if their income falls, their demand for our exports usually decreases.
5. Step 5: Therefore, changes in the national incomes of our trading partners directly affect our exports, as exports are sensitive to the economic conditions of foreign buyers.