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☆ I.M.F. Sees Signs of Cooling in U.S. Economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The United States economy is growing more slowly than expected and inflation remains stubbornly high around the world, two developments that pose risks to the global economy, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. The new report said the I.M.F. still expected growth in global output to hold steady at 3.2 percent in 2024. However, the closely watched projections included several caveats and warned that the global economy was in a “sticky spot.”Most notable were signs of weakness in the United States, which has helped power the global recovery from the pandemic. now expects the United States economy to grow more slowly than it did previously as a result of weaker consumer spending and a softening job market.

Organizations: International Monetary Fund Locations: States, United States

☆ Liberals Find a TV Prescription for Election Jitters: Monday Nights
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Michael M. Grynbaum | John Koblin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Liberal TV viewers have a new mantra: T.G.I.M.! Monday nights have suddenly broken out in the Nielsen ratings — and in national relevance — thanks to a rare confluence: two TV superstars of the political left who have limited their regularly scheduled broadcasts to that one evening. In a frazzled media age, their once-a-week programs have become something close to appointment viewing. Ms. Maddow’s Monday program is far and away the highest-rated hour of MSNBC’s entire week. Mr. Stewart’s “Daily Show” significantly outdraws the other weeknight editions of the show, and has proved to be a rare breakout hit for Comedy Central.

Persons: Jon Stewart, Rachel Maddow, Maddow’s, Stewart’s Organizations: Liberal, Nielsen, Comedy Central

☆ I.M.F. Is Upbeat on China’s Growth but Questions Industrial Policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Responding to China’s surging exports and extensive investments in new factories, the International Monetary Fund made sizable increases on Wednesday in how much it believes China’s economy will grow this year and next. now estimates that China will grow 5 percent this year and 4.5 percent in 2025. That is 0.4 percentage points more for each year compared with the fund’s predictions just six weeks ago. China’s gross domestic output expanded 5.2 percent last year as the economy rebounded following nearly three years of stringent pandemic policies that included numerous municipal lockdowns and mandatory quarantines. Many economists, including at the I.M.F., had anticipated that growth would falter this year because of a severe contraction of China’s housing market and a slowdown in domestic spending.

Organizations: International Monetary Fund Locations: China

☆ I.M.F. Sees Steady Growth but Warns of Rising Protectionism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Alan Rappeport | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The global economy is approaching a soft landing after several years of geopolitical and economic turmoil, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. But it warned that risks remain, including stubborn inflation, the threat of escalating global conflicts and rising protectionism. In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the I.M.F. projected global output to hold steady at 3.2 percent in 2024, unchanged from 2023. The forecasts came as policymakers from around the world began arriving in Washington for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Organizations: International Monetary Fund, World Bank Locations: Ukraine, Washington

☆ Opinion | What Janet Yellen Needs to Tell China’s Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It would be great if Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had a copy of “The Portable Karl Marx” with her on her trip to China this week. China was “among the most unequal countries in the world” in 2018, another I.M.F. working paper released that year said. While Xi Jinping name-checks Marx, it’s clear from his behavior that what he really pursues is national greatness under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party. That’s more in line with Lenin, who believed that a “vanguard” party would lead the proletariat, than with Marx or Engels.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Karl Marx ”, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, ” Marx, Xi, Marx, it’s, Lenin, Engels Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Chinese Communist Party Locations: China, Brazil

☆ I.M.F. Agrees to Much Larger Rescue Package for Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Nada Rashwan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to more than double a bailout package for Egypt, which is going through its worst economic crisis in decades, exacerbated by war in the neighboring Gaza Strip and in Ukraine. The fund now plans to provide Egypt $8 billion, up from an initial $3 billion announced in October 2022. The I.M.F.’s mission chief to Egypt, Ivanna Vladkova Hollar, noted at a news conference that the already-struggling Egyptian economy had been further hurt by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has cut into the country’s vital tourism trade. At the same time, revenue from the Suez Canal dropped by half after Houthi militants, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, began attacking cargo ships using Red Sea shipping routes.

Persons: Ivanna Vladkova Hollar Organizations: Monetary Fund Locations: Egypt, Gaza, Ukraine, Israel, Suez

The world is starting 2024 on an optimistic economic note, as inflation fades globally and growth remains more resilient than many forecasters had expected. Yet one country stands out for its surprising strength: the United States. The question is why America has pulled out ahead of other developed economies in the pack. said this week that it expected the United States to grow 2.1 percent, a sharp upgrade from the previous estimate of 1.5 percent. The euro area is expected to notch out 0.9 percent growth, as is Japan, and the United Kingdom is forecast to expand by 0.6 percent.

Organizations: Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund Locations: United States, Ukraine, U.S, United Kingdom, Germany, America, Japan

Even including the sale of Heathrow, this year is the slowest for airport transactions in the past decade, totalling $5.9 billion globally to date, according to Dealogic data. They have hired Mediobanca (MDBI.MI) and Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) to find a buyer for a sale of their 49% stake in the company, the people said. Heathrow's sale valued the airport at 14.3 times EBITDA, according to JP Morgan analysis published on Wednesday. UK's Esken (ESKN.L), owner of regional Southend Airport, said in June it had started a process for the sale of the airport. On Thursday, Hungary's state-owned Corvinus and Vinci Airports notified the European Commission of a proposed joint takeover of Budapest's airport, according to a document posted on the EU website.

Persons: Andras Kranicz, GIP, Australia's Macquarie, Spain's, Ferrovial, Agata Lyznik, Mediobanca, Gianni, Origoni, Nico Torrisi, Morgan, UK's, France's Vinci, Vinci, Corvinus, Emma, Victoria Farr, Andres Gonzalez, Elisa Anzolin, Joanna Plucinska, Mathieu Rosemain, Anousha Sakoui, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: LONDON, Heathrow, BNP, Global Infrastructure Partners, AGS Airports, Southampton, Australia's, International, ACI, Airports, Macquarie, Credit Agricole Assurance, 2i, Credit, SAC, Gatwick, Southend Airport, Global Infrastructure Fund, Vinci Airports, European Commission, EU, Thomson Locations: Edinburgh, Italy, FRANKFURT, Spanish, Europe, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Heathrow, France, Hungary's, Budapest's

Enel, hitherto the world's biggest listed renewables developer, plans 35.8 billion euros ($39 billion) of gross capital expenditure in its plan to 2026, of which nearly 19 billion euros will help to modernise and make its networks more resilient. Shares in the state-controlled power group were down 0.4% at 1530 GMT paring a 1% initial loss on the Milan bourse and underperforming a nearly flat blue-chip index. Rising indebtedness was one of the reasons why the Italian government, which is the single biggest shareholder in Enel, decided to oust the group's previous CEO, Francesco Starace. New CEO Flavio Cattaneo pledged to spend only the cash generated by the business, without increasing the debt pile. The group will devote some 3 billion euros to actively manage its customer portfolio through bundled offers, which will include different commodities and services.

Persons: Antonio Parrinello, Enel, Francesco Starace, Flavio Cattaneo, Cattaneo, Stefano De Angelis, Starace, Francesca Landini, Giancarlo Navach, Keith Weir, Giulia Segreti, Elaine Hardcastle, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Milan bourse, Thomson Locations: Catania, Italy, MILAN, Milan, Enel

Amundi signed a 10-year distribution accord in 2017 when it bought UniCredit's Pioneer Investments for 3.6 billion euros. Credit Agricole CEO Philippe Brassac told reporters this month it was no secret UniCredit was looking at ways "to optimise" the accord with Amundi. Orcel, sources have said, is unhappy with the amount of Amundi funds the accord binds UniCredit to place with customers. UniCredit had 134 billion euros in AUM from fund and portfolio management as of Sept. 30. If their relationship ended after 2027, it would still take UniCredit time to replace Amundi funds with other products.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Amundi, Andrea Orcel, UniCredit, Philippe Brassac, Brassac, Orcel, Azimut, Valentina Za, Mathieu Rosemain, Silvia Aloisi, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Investments, Agricole, Credit, Amundi, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, MILAN, Italy, Italian, Milan

Fusion could have an important advantage over today's nuclear fission plants that split atoms, as it does not produce long-lasting radioactive waste. The former secretary of state will announce his plan to lay out the strategy - which foresees commercialization within years, not decades - on Monday on a tour of fusion company Commonwealth Fusion Systems near Boston. "I will have much more to say on the United States’ vision for international partnerships for an inclusive fusion energy future at COP28," Kerry said in a statement. Some critics say fusion will be too expensive and take too long to develop to help in the fight against climate change in the foreseeable future. In 2023, international fusion companies have garnered about $1.4 billion in investments for a total of about $6.21 billion in mostly private money, the Fusion Industry Association said, down from about $2.83 billion in new investment last year.

Persons: John Kerry, Kerry, Claudio Descalzi, Valerie Volcovici, Timothy Gardner, Jan Harvey Organizations: Eni, WASHINGTON, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Fusion, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Commonwealth, United, U.S, National, Fusion Industry Association, FIA, Thomson Locations: U.S, Dubai , U.S, Boston, California, United States, COP28, Germany, Japan, China, Australia

☆ A 24-year-old spent her summer renovating a rundown cabin on a remote island in Canada. Take a look.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Monica Humphries | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Bri Macdonald spent her summer renovating a cabin on an island in Ontario, Canada. AdvertisementBri Macdonald spent the summer on a remote island on a lake in Ontario. Bri MacdonaldMacdonald said getting to the cabin was an 'adventure'The cabin Macdonald renovated was the only building on the secluded island. But she was working on the cabin project by herself. Bri Macdonald working on the cabin in Ontario, Canada.

Persons: Bri Macdonald, Macdonald, —, Bri Macdonald Macdonald, Barbie, I've, Macdonald couldn't, she'll Organizations: Service, Barbies Locations: Ontario, Canada, TikTok, Georgian

☆ UniCredit CEO Orcel's 'bank of Europe' ambition tough to realise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, his aspirations to make UniCredit the "bank of Europe" are proving trickier to realise with the CEO setting a high bar for mergers and acquisitions in the euro zone's fractured capital markets, despite having what he describes as the biggest war chest among European lenders. UniCredit bought Greece's 9% stake in Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT) and struck a commercial partnership with the Athens-based lender, also acquiring most of its Romanian operations. The CEO works closely with a small M&A team he set up within UniCredit which constantly reviews potential deals in the markets and businesses where the bank operates, people with knowledge of the matter said. But uneven regulation across the euro zone, where progress towards a single banking market has stalled, complicates cross-border deals. Calling on Europe to follow his lead, Orcel says he has unlocked UniCredit's potential by giving it a unified strategy across its 13 markets.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, Merrill Lynch, Orcel, He's, Cole Smead, ALPHA Orcel, Siena, UniCredit, Smead, Jean, Pierre Mustier's, Mustier, it's, Carlo Franchini, Danilo Masoni, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Discount, MILAN, UBS, Smead Capital Management, Fund, ALPHA, Banco, Alpha Bank, Alpha, Banca Ifigest, Thomson Locations: buybacks, Europe, Arizona, Ukraine, Athens, HVB, Berlin, Milan

☆ UniCredit’s Greek stake is less odd than it seems
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But Italy’s UniCredit (CRDI.MI), which on Monday purchased 9% of Alpha Bank for about 300 million euros, should have better luck. This will include merging the lenders’ Romanian units and Alpha distributing UniCredit’s asset-management products in Greece. Probably the most reassuring news for investors in the Italian bank is that Orcel has no plans to raise its stake. UniCredit hasn’t requested regulatory permission to buy more and doesn’t envisage doing so, according to a person familiar with the matter. For shareholders, then, UniCredit’s mini-Greek adventure is unusual but easily tolerable.

Persons: Italy’s, Andrea Orcel, Crédit, Société, Orcel, UniCredit, UniCredit hasn’t, Liam Proud, Aimee Donnellan, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Alpha Bank, Alpha, Piraeus Financial, X, SEC, Thomson Locations: Greece

☆ Generali has 500 mln euros left for M&A, could return it to investors, CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An Assicurazioni Generali SpA's logo is seen on a building of their offices in Saint-Denis, near Paris, France, February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Italy's top insurer Assicurazioni Generali (GASI.MI) still has 500 million euros ($533.10 million) left for M&A deals, which will be returned to shareholders if not used for acquisitions, its Chief Executive Philippe Donnet said on Wednesday. In June, the insurer agreed to buy the Spanish unit of U.S. insurer Liberty Mutual for 2.3 billion euros, strengthening its property and casualty segment. I cannot say whether we will make another acquisition before the end of the plan. If we do not use this cash for an acquisition, we will return it to the shareholders", Donnet said.

Persons: Denis, Benoit Tessier, Assicurazioni, Philippe Donnet, Generali, Liberty Seguros, Donnet, Gianluca Semeraro, Gavin Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Liberty Mutual, Holdings, Liberty, Thomson Locations: Saint, Paris, France, Europe, Asia, United States, Connecticut

The International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday of risks posed by China’s financial and property sectors even as it took a more optimistic view on the country’s economic growth. forecast that China’s economy will expand 5.4 percent this year and 4.6 percent in 2024. Each estimate was 0.4 percentage points higher than the fund had predicted four weeks earlier. Gita Gopinath, the first deputy managing director of the fund, said at a news conference in Beijing that the changes reflected stronger economic performance than expected from July through September and recent efforts by Beijing to stimulate the economy. But Ms. Gopinath voiced worries about China’s housing sector, which faces falling prices and sales as well as loan defaults by leading developers.

Persons: Gita Gopinath, Gopinath Organizations: Monetary Fund Locations: Beijing, China

That has left Italian equities overall more cheaply valued than even battered UK shares (.dMIGB00000PUS), which are trading at a 33% discount to global peers. Goldman Sachs estimates that each 10 bps rise in sovereign spreads takes around 2% off Italian bank shares and 1.5% off the FTSE MIB index. Conflict in Ukraine and in the Middle East meanwhile threaten to spark a fresh surge in energy prices and weaken growth. UniCredit shares are up almost 80% this year and among the best performing euro zone banking shares. Fidelity International portfolio manager Alberto Chiandetti, said he was chasing opportunities in battered industrials and consumer sectors in the FTSE Italia Star index.

Persons: Claudia Greco, Chris Hiorns, Fitch, Goldman Sachs, Giuseppe Sersale, Andrea Scauri, Lemanik, Scauri, LSEG, Alberto Chiandetti, Joice Alves, Danilo Masoni, Dhara Ranasinghe, Toby Chopra Organizations: REUTERS, Companies, LONDON, Barclays, European Commission, FTSE Italia Star, Anthilia, Banco, Fidelity International, FTSE, Thomson Locations: Milan, Silicon, Italy, Companies Italy, MILAN, Germany, Ukraine, iShares, Europe, dei, London

[1/6] A man works on a pole to restore electricity after a storm knocked down power cables in Sao Paulo, Brazil November 6, 2023. REUTERS/Carla Carniel Acquire Licensing RightsSAO PAULO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Half a million residents of Sao Paulo remained without electricity on Monday three days after a storm knocked down power cables, leaving much of Brazil's largest city in the dark. The storm snapped branches and knocked down hundreds of trees that fell on overhead power lines in many streets of the city, initially cutting off 2.1 million customers in Metropolitan Sao Paulo, energy distribution company ENEL said. But what is shocking is that year after year there is not enough investment in burying the power cables. Reporting by Camila Moreira, Alberto Alerigi and Leticia Fucuchima in Sao Paulo; Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carla Carniel, Sao Paulo, ENEL, Denilson Laurindo, Thiago Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Flavio Dino, Alexandre Vieira Monteiro, Camila Moreira, Alberto Alerigi, Leticia Fucuchima, Anthony Boadle, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Metropolitan Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Friday, Brazil's, Thomson Locations: Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sao, Brazil's, Metropolitan Sao, Morumbi, Brasilia

☆ Europe needs bigger banks but mergers hard without banking union -Intesa CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Nov 6 (Reuters) - European banks need to join forces if the region is to withstand competition from the United States and China but without a banking union, cross-border mergers do not make sense, the head of Italy's biggest bank Intesa Sanpaolo (ISP.MI) said on Monday. "You need synergies and the area where investors are looking for synergies is cost," he said, adding it was not easy "to deliver real cross-border synergies on the cost side". "I think we'll need to wait for a banking union to see real, significant cross-border consolidation. Orcel last month said Europe was destined to "irrelevance" if it did not work to unify its capital markets and create a banking union that allowed lenders to compete with U.S. rivals and adequately finance the region's economy. Intesa has a 30% market share of deposits and mutual funds, and 20% of insurance products, the CEO said.

Persons: Carlo Messina, Andrea Orcel, Messina, Intesa, Andrea Enria, Valentina Za, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: MILAN, CNBC, U.S, Central Bank's, Thomson Locations: United States, China, Europe, Orcel, Messina, Italy

☆ How Apple's thinking about AI spending and deployment differs from Big Tech rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Bob Woods | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

And, of course, we've been doing research across a wide range of AI technologies, including generative AI, for years," he said. The upgraded camera uses machine-learning AI to tell the difference between a person and an animal in the frame. Laura Martin, a tech analyst at Needham, is among those who say Apple is "far behind" its big tech rivals. The early edge in generative AI is paying off for rivals, as was evidenced by Microsoft's recent earnings report. "We believe they are on the cusp of what will be the introduction of an AI App Store over the next year," he said.

Persons: Brendan Burke, That's, Tim Cook, Cook, we've, Siri, Apple, it's, Laura Martin, Martin, I'm, Ives, that's, what's, OpenAI, Google's Bard, Burke, Claude Organizations: Apple, Microsoft, Google, Vision Pro, Amazon Web Services, Bloomberg, Meta, Financial Times Locations: Cupertino, California, Seattle, Paris, Beijing, Anthropic

To this aim UniCredit wants to get to around 20 billion euros of in-house funds, Orcel said. UniCredit and Amundi are tied by a 10-year distribution agreement they signed in 2017, when UniCredit sold its internal asset manager Pioneer to Amundi. Orcel, who has been working to increase the bank's fee income since arriving in 2021, said on Tuesday UniCredit had been "rebalancing" its relationship with Amundi. By replacing the Amundi funds with its own products or those of partners who pay the bank more to sell their funds, UniCredit increases the portion of distribution fees in asset management it pockets. "In terms of value, I think in-house, strictly speaking, we're looking at about 20 billion euros," he said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Andrea Orcel, UniCredit, Orcel, Valérie Baudson, Amundi, Mathieu Rosemain, Valentina Za, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Paris

☆ UniCredit CEO says shareholders prefer buybacks to dividends
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Unicredit Bank logo is seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Italy's UniCredit (CRDI.MI) is using mostly share buybacks to return capital to shareholders, rather than dividends, because that is what investors prefer, Chief Executive Andrea Orcel said in a shareholders' meeting on Friday. "This is what shareholders tell us when we speak with them," Orcel told a meeting that approved a 2.5-billion-euro ($2.64 billion) share buyback. Presenting quarterly earnings on Tuesday, Orcel said that UniCredit would consider increasing over time the cash portion of its distribution, which is "arguably low." With shares trading at between 5 and 5.5 times the bank's forward earnings, "I think I am doing investors a favour by reducing the share count and boosting the yield going forward", Orcel said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Andrea Orcel, Orcel, UniCredit, Valentina Za, Alvise Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson

Worldline's (WLN.PA) stock slide, which saw around $4 billion wiped off its market value, is the latest wake-up call. COMMISSIONS CUTRevenue growth has suffered at payments firms as inflation has force European consumers to spend less, while investors fret about the euro zone slipping into recession. Some analysts say payments firms have also been caught napping, after a period of growth during COVID lockdowns. In a further sign of investor wariness, venture capital investment flows into European payment firms have also dried up. Now, it may leave private equity investors to pick up the pieces for payment service firms, analysts said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Paul Charpentier, Bryan Garnier, napping, Jefferies, Hannes Leitner, Leitner, Charpentier, wariness, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo, Morgan Stanley, Worldline, Bryan Garnier's Charpentier, Elizabeth Howcroft, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, PayPal, Holdings, Companies, Barclays, Reuters, Spain's Banco Sabadell, Fidelity National Information Services, CVC Capital Partners, CVC, Thomson Locations: London, U.S, Nexi, Europe

☆ UniCredit to have more than 10 bln euros in excess capital by end-2023 - CEO to paper
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Unicredit logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Oct 25 (Reuters) - UniCredit (CRDI.MI) will have more than 10 billion euros ($10.60 billion) in excess capital by end-2023 and will consider whether to use it for M&A deals or to reward its shareholders, the lender's Chief Executive said in an interview published on Wednesday . "If M&A at our conditions is complicated, what is left is distribution (of capital). Therefore what we will give back from 2024 will have an ordinary component and probably and extraordianry one," Andrea Orcel told Italian financial daily Il Sole 24 Ore.($1 = 0.9432 euros)Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro, writing by Giulia Segreti, editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Andrea Orcel, Gianluca Semeraro, Giulia Segreti, Alvise Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson

☆ Prospect of Prolonged Israel-Gaza War Adds Economic Havoc to Human Toll
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Liz Alderman | More About Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

That has concentrated the pool of recruits around people who make up the bulk of Israel’s entrepreneurial economic activity. Two credit ratings agencies this week warned that Israel’s debt could be downgraded. The Bank of Israel has about $200 billion in foreign exchange reserves — close to 40 percent of the country’s gross domestic product — which its governor, Amir Yaron, told I.M.F. and World Bank officials in a video call on Sunday provided ample capacity to support the economy. Since the conflict, the central bank has earmarked $30 billion in foreign exchange to support the shekel, which has fallen to an eight-year low.

Persons: ”, Ben, David, Moody’s, Fitch, Israel’s, Israel, Goldman Sachs, Amir Yaron, I.M.F Organizations: Bank of Israel, World Bank

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