Main reports: In October, the Palestinian Authority initiated a free trade agreement with Mercosur, with a final signing due in December. In other trade news, exports in August increased by 17.7% compared with July, and imports were down by 0.1%.
The World Bank ranks the West Bank and Gaza 131 out of 183 economies in terms of regulations that affect domestic firms.
Mercy Corps, Google.org and the Source of Hope Foundation launch the Arab Developer Network Initiative (ADNI) in the West Bank and Gaza, aimed at driving innovation in the Palestinian ICT sector.
In October the Al-Quds Index decreased by 1.33%, reaching its lowest level of 474.7 points on the last day of trading (31 October). This is the lowest value the index has had since 15 January 2009.