Central Banks

Israel Holds Rates and Cuts Growth Forecast for This Year

Shoppers at Carmel market in Tel Aviv.

Photographer: Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg

Israel’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged for the 12th consecutive time, giving a recent rally in the shekel more time to slow inflation and pave the way for lower borrowing costs.

The Bank of Israel left its base rate on hold at 4.5% on Monday, in line with estimates from all but one of 11 economists in a Bloomberg survey.