The shekel-dollar exchange rate has not fluctuated significantly in this morning’s trade, rising 0.08% to NIS 3.891/$. The shekel-euro exchange rate declined by 0.03% to NIS 5.5264/€.



Globes reports that yesterday, US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told the US Congress that interest rates there will continue to hover at their current low level at least until there is a decline in unemployment figures. The process could take over a year.



The unexpected higher than predicted 0.9% rise in Israel’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June has some analysts believing that the Bank of Israel will raise its interest rate in the near future. The Bank of Israel’s current interest rate is 0.5%, which is a record low for Israel.