Bank of Israel Is Expected to Cut Rates Again as Easing Cycle Gathers Pace

Markets expect the Bank of Israel to cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, its second consecutive reduction, Globes reported. The paper framed the decision around mortgage borrowers, whose monthly payments have risen by hundreds of shekels in recent years and who now face a choice about switching loan tracks.

The move fits a wider pattern. As inflation pressures ease with lower oil, central banks are shifting from restraint toward stimulus, expanding credit to support growth. In the Austrian school view, cheaper money lowers the cost of borrowing but risks directing capital toward investments that only look sound while rates are held down.

Israel's own equity picture shows the unevenness beneath the macro story. Among Israeli shares traded in New York, the automotive-technology firm REE has sought a stay of proceedings after losing nearly all its value, while the payments company Nayax rose above its offering price, Globes reported.

The backdrop for savers is a monetary system tilting easier worldwide. Gold traded near $4,200 an ounce, according to CoinCodex data, and bitcoin changed hands in the high $50,000s to low $60,000s, per Fortune, levels that reflect steady demand for assets outside the reach of central-bank policy.