In a First, Bank of Israel Dips into Reserves to Save the Shekel

The Bank of Israel in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
The Bank of Israel in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
TT

In a First, Bank of Israel Dips into Reserves to Save the Shekel

The Bank of Israel in Jerusalem. (Reuters)
The Bank of Israel in Jerusalem. (Reuters)

The Bank of Israel sold $8.2 billion of foreign currency in October to help prevent the sharp decline of the shekel, it said on Tuesday.

It is the first time the Bank has sold foreign exchange after reserves stood at $198.553 billion in September.

The Central Bank launched a $30 billion program to sell foreign exchange at the beginning of the war against the Hamas movement in Gaza to protect the shekel from collapse.

It also said it would provide dollar liquidity to the market through SWAP mechanisms of as much as $15 billion.

The Bank's current level of foreign exchange is the lowest level recorded in a year, although it is still higher than the average over the past decade.

Last month, the Bank of Israel reviewed its growth expectations, and its research department said it now expects the economy to grow by 2.3 percent in 2023 and by 2.8 percent in 2024 as private consumption falls and the ability to work is constrained.

The value is down from its previous forecasts of 3 percent growth this year and next.

The updated economic forecasts were presented as the central Bank held the benchmark rate at 4.75 percent when the war escalated and the shekel continued its decline, nearing its lowest levels ever.

The Bank stated that the Monetary Policy Committee decided to keep the interest rate unchanged despite Israel's involvement in the operations resulting from the escalation in Gaza for more than two weeks.

Local media reports revealed the challenges that Israel is suffering from as the war continues, as the Israeli army's losses continue to rise.

According to the Jerusalem Post, there are five primary challenges facing Israel, including an economic recession.

It explained that leading economists have forecasted that the Israeli economy is poised to slide into a recession as the conflict continues, and more than 360,000 reservists who are currently called up for duty are diverted from their regular jobs.

At the beginning of this week, the Ministry of Finance estimated that Israel's losses from its war in Gaza had reached $50 billion, describing the cost as exorbitant.

The daily said the estimate, equal to 10% of gross domestic product, was premised on the war lasting between eight to 12 months, on it being limited to Gaza, without full participation by Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iran, or Yemen, and on some 350,000 Israelis drafted as military reservists returning to work soon.

The Ministry expects 8.5 percent of the conscripts to return to work immediately after the fighting stops.



Oil Rises on Upbeat China Data, Shaky Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire

FILE - Pump jacks work in a field near Lovington, N.M., April 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - Pump jacks work in a field near Lovington, N.M., April 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
TT

Oil Rises on Upbeat China Data, Shaky Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire

FILE - Pump jacks work in a field near Lovington, N.M., April 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
FILE - Pump jacks work in a field near Lovington, N.M., April 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

Oil prices rose on Monday, supported by strong factory activity in China, the world's second-largest oil consumer, and heightened tensions in the Middle East as Israel resumed attacks on Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement.
Brent crude futures climbed 57 cents, or 0.79%, to $72.41 a barrel by 0700 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $68.58 a barrel, up 58 cents, or 0.85%.
"Oil prices have managed to stabilize into the new week, with the continued expansion in China's manufacturing activities reflecting some degree of policy success from recent stimulus efforts," said Yeap Jun Rong, market strategist at IG.
This offered slight relief that oil demand from China may hold for now, he added.
A private-sector survey showed China's factory activity expanded at the fastest pace in five months in November, boosting Chinese firms' optimism just as US President-elect Donald Trump ramps up his trade threats.
Still, traders are eyeing developments in Syria, weighing if they could widen tension across the Middle East, Yeap said.
A truce between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Wednesday, but each side accused the other of breaching the ceasefire.
In a statement, the Lebanese health ministry said several people were wounded in two Israeli strikes in south Lebanon. Air strikes also intensified in Syria, as President Bashar al-Assad vowed to crush insurgents who had swept into the city of Aleppo.
Last week, both benchmarks suffered a weekly decline of more than 3%, on easing concerns over supply risks from the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and forecasts of surplus supply in 2025, even as OPEC+ is expected to extend output cuts.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, known as OPEC+, postponed its meeting to Dec. 5, sources told Reuters last week.
This week's meeting will decide policy for the early months of 2025.
Since the group's production hike had been widely expected, the market's focus may be on the extent of delay to sway crude prices, said IG's Yeap.
"An indefinite delay may be the best case for oil prices, given that earlier rounds of delays by a month or so have failed to drive higher oil prices in line with what OPEC+ intended."
Brent is expected to average $74.53 per barrel in 2025 as economic weakness in China clouds the demand picture and ample global supplies outweigh support from an expected delay to a planned OPEC+ output hike, a Reuters monthly oil price poll showed on Friday.
That is the seventh straight downward revision in the 2025 consensus for the global benchmark, which has averaged $80 per barrel so far in 2024.