Interest Rate Rises

Keep your eye on the interest rate, which jumped 50 basis points from 2.5% to 3.0%. The inflation rate was higher than the 1-3% that was the estimate and therefore the Bank Of Israel wants to keep a close eye on an inflation run.

Additionally, the housing prices continue to rise, but it seems to still have little to no impact on the applications for mortgages.

One suggestion would be to approve the new building in Judea and Samaria. The availability of more housing may normalize the prices instead of the continuous rise of prices due to a lack of housing.

Israel and Canada

The Canadian Government has fallen. I think with all that is going on around the Middle East right now - Egypt, Libya, Syria and others, I think the Canadian news is maybe even more significant.

Israel had no greater friend in a leadership role than Stephen Harper, the prime minister of Canada. To see him leave office is a sad and depressing event to us all.

His quotes on Israel include:

"An attack on Israel would be considered an attack on Canada"

"Canada will always stand beside Israel"

“The Liberal government is more frequently taking the view that Israel’s attempt to defend itself is equal to the terrorist attacks launched against it”

"Our government believes that those who threaten Israel also threaten Canada!"

The future remains uncertain - but we hope that the Canadians remain in support of the one democracy in the Middle East, eh! (Could not resist the last part...)

New Blog

I have decided (after a year and a half of inactivity) to change my focus from solely business in Israel to my general feelings and observations on my life, where I life, the immediate area around me and the world at large.