Capital Market

The employment rate in the economy has fallen from 61% to 50% since the beginning of the crisis - but this figure does not reflect the intensity of social disparities: the employment rate of the bottom quintile of income was 29% lower in October relative to the eve of the crisis, compared to only 6%. In the top quintile. That is, the decline in employment among the weakest was 5 times greater than that recorded among the strongest. This emerges from a review of the effect of the second closure on the labor market published today (Sunday) by the chief economist at the Treasury, Shira...

Blue and white chairman and deputy prime minister Bemi Gantz on the last day of the 23rd Knesset, the leadership he so desperately lacked during his tenure in the Netanyahu government. He preferred the good of the state over his personal good and agreed that the government would approve a continuing budget. The Finance Ministry's bill according to which the follow-up budget for 2021 will not be based on the last approved budget - for 2019. According to the decision, another NIS 100 billion can be spent, which means that instead of a NIS 100 billion cut in ministry expenses, the cuts will be...

The Bank of Israel estimates that the government's decisions to move to a stricter closure, which will reduce attendance at workplaces and completely close jobs that receive an audience and the education system, will entail a cost of NIS 3.5-3 billion a week for the economy. This is in contrast to the Bank of Israel's estimate of the cost of the least tightened closure, which began at the end of December, which was NIS 2.5 billion a week. The new decisions join, of course, the existing restrictions on leaving the house up to a distance of 1 km, cultural activities, banquet halls, etc

The consumer price index fell 0.1% in December; For the whole of 2020, the index fell by 0.7%, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. In 2019, the inflation rate was 0.6%. The CBS also published a change in housing prices (news and second hand - data that are not part of the consumer price index): housing prices rose by 1% in October-November, compared with September-October - thus completing an increase of 3.2% compared to the same period (October -November 2019). Significant price decreases were recorded in the fresh vegetables and fruits sections (2.9%) and education services...

There was a significant increase in the corona 2020 in the government debt of Israel and in the public debt, which includes the debts of local authorities. Taking out large-scale loans for government spending to fight the virus and aid the economy, caused for the first time in 11 years a significant increase in debt and this increase is expected to continue in 2021. However, it must be said honestly. A debt of 73% is a very impressive rate. We are very far from a real economic crisis. Even if it grows to 80% this year, we are very far from a real economic crisis

The public has suffered in 2020 the most severe damage to its economic situation in the last twenty years. According to the report, the decline in living standards in Israel in 2020 was the largest recorded in the country since the Great Recession in 2001. Households from the middle-class deciles suffered the most economic damage while families from the highest decile suffered less income. Thus, incomes Of households in the fifth and sixth deciles decreased in 2020 by about 5% compared to 2019, in the seventh decile income decreased by 4.3%, and in the eighth decile by 4%. In the ninth...

As expected, due to the extension of the third closure by another 10 days so far, employers have increased their employees' time off. Data reported this morning (Sunday) by the Employment Service show that 5,560 new jobseekers were registered over the weekend. Since the beginning of the third closure, a total of 150,159 new job seekers have been registered, of whom 89,000 have been registered since the closure was tightened. The data also show that 121,291 jobseekers were taken on unpaid leave and their rate is about 80.8% of all new unemployed, while 28,868 of them were fired or resigned

The Ministry of Health has been discussing in recent days the possibility of imposing severe restrictions on the coming Purim, in order to prevent a renewed increase in morbidity, which has been declining significantly in recent days. Meanwhile, many people took advantage of the trade opening yesterday to buy costumes for Purim - and toy stores have long queues ahead of the holiday, which will begin on Thursday evening. At this stage, the Ministry of Health has not yet formulated a decision regarding restrictions on Purim, with one option being to impose a night curfew to prevent...

The situation of the labor market in January was more difficult than in October, when the second closure ended - both in the rate of job seekers and in the length of the period in which many of them are out of work. This emerges from an analysis of the employment service. 127.7 thousand new job seekers were registered in January - an increase of 56.4% compared to December 2020. On the other hand, only 18.2 thousand people reported returning to work - the lowest number of returnees since the beginning of the crisis. At the beginning of January, 727.4 thousand jobseekers were registered and...

The consumer price index rose by 0.3% in February 2021, indicating that after a long period of Corona, prices began to rise, with inflation already estimated to increase by approximately 201%. . Significant price decreases were recorded in fresh vegetables - 1.9% and in footwear - 1.7%. Since the beginning of the year, the consumer price index has risen by 0.2% and in the last 12 months (February 2021 compared to February 2020), the consumer price index remains unchanged, after a negative index throughout 2020. According to the CBS Housing Price Index, which is published together with the...