In my most recent playthrough, I'd say it is a mix. Some deals were favorable and some were definitely not. I just don't see the point in the AI offering a deal that is clearly bad. I can initiate a trade whenever I want (minus the cooldown) so if I want to make a bad trade, I can do it.
The new "Would you be interested in a trade deal with England" is "Would you like X to go to war with Y?" I get asked this every couple of turns and I find it intrusive. Yes, I know the Onyx Hive has had a blood feud with the whoevers forever. I think after the first time, a notification (Z will pay you X to go to war with Y) would be sufficient. The first time is fine because it does immerse you in the fact that this side war is happening.
The problem (which exists in every game where trading is a thing) is that you can completely game the AI by trading nearly all of your tech. Even if you trade at a loss, you come out way ahead. This is clearly something that could be worked on in balancing. In my current game, the Festron Hunt have amassed something like 40,000 credits and I have probably 30 more techs than they do. I'm sure someone out there has tech they would be interested in. (Or do they get a boost from their treasury like the Corporate dudes do? Huh, maybe I'm playing the Corporate wrong. 1% happiness for every 1000 credits might not seem like a lot until you have 50,000. Maybe I should have been taxing the @#$% out of my citizens the whole game. But I digress.)
