Finance

After increasing interest rates over the past few years to curb inflation, the BoI cut the rate by 0.25% amid cautious optimism about inflation and the Israeli economy generally.

The sharp decline in interest in medical technology with the decline in COVID-19 and the country's domestic challenges and the war have meant tough times for its medtech sector.

The Bank of Israel reported that its Composite State of the Economy Index showed that the negative effects of the war on the economy had moderated in November, its second month.

Data provided to Calcalist by the Shva automated banking service shows consumer spending holding steady a week after Hannukah and just below average for the year.

Argentinian President Javier Milei issued another decree slashing government, this one terminating the employment of workers who began working after Jan. 1, 2023.

While the country's eyes remain fixed on the south, the border skirmishes in the north with Hezbollah are taking their toll on civilian property and livelihoods - and residents are getting more worried.

The Defense Ministry's efforts to hamper terror funding has ramped up since the war began, but serious challenges remain, including the cash-only terror funding methods that are hard to intercept.

The index, containing the largest 125 Israeli companies traded on the stock market, has returned to its level before the war started, pointing to an economic recovery.

An escalating effort by the Iran-backed Houthis to blockade ships from reaching Israel via the Suez Canal is threatening to turn the Red Sea into a dead sea - with many consequences.

Once a globally predominant company, the marvel of Gilded Age America, US Steel had slowly been left behind by other companies since the mid-twentieth century.

Ever since October 7, Israel has struggled to fill the gap left in agriculture, construction, and caretaking by Thai workers who fled and Palestinian workers who are barred.

The Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman sharply criticized the budget outline for 2023 as a "serious error."

Minister Barkat also said that if businesses in the combat zones collapse and don't survive the war, it will amount to a Hamas victory.

Tel Aviv, previously ranked at the top of the list of most expensive cities, now ranks eighth. The effects of the war may change this in both directions.

While terrorist groups fight Israel on the battlefield, they have used both traditional and modern means to raise millions of dollars under various guises since the war started.

An international task force has been formed among Israel and major countries to trace and stop financing of Hamas terrorism in the wake of October 7.

Gallant said "the strength of security and the strength of the economy are intertwined" in a meeting with the Governor of the Bank of Israel.

The National Insurance Institute reported that some 121,841 claims had been filed since the beginning of the war. Most were for furloughed rather than fired workers.

Building off of previous bilateral negotiations for 10,000 Indian workers, the deal has now increased to 40,000, to be brought to Israel within weeks to fill wartime shortages.