How will the Russian ruble crisis affect the Israeli economy?
When the Russian ruble collapsed in 1998 on the heels of the Asian currency crisis, it sent waves through global markets. Last week, the ruble collapsed again, losing 11 percent of its value against the dollar on Tuesday, its steepest one-day fall since the previous crisis. The last time around, Israel’s economy was pulled in to the crisis. What will the effect be this time around?
Shauli Katznelson, the Deputy Director General for Economics & Professional Services at The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute elucidates.
Controversy over TAUB poverty report
Last week, The Taub Center for Social policy made headlines with its finding that 80% of Israelis could not make ends meet each month.Then, in an unusual move, the Finance Ministry’s chief economist issued a response calling the study’s methodology into question. The ministry contended that data from the Central Bureau of Statistics consistently showed that most households did infact money left over at the end of the month.
We ask Eitan Regev, author of the TAUB report, where the discrepancies lie and what message the public should take away.
Will Israel have to pay Iran $100 million in compensation?
It’s a story of Hollywood proportions: In 1968, back in the days of the Shah, Iran and Israel entered a joint venture building a pipeline to transport Iranian oil through to Eilat where it could be exported to Europe. Then came the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and all ties with Israel were cut from thereon in. In 1994, The National Iranian Oil Company began trying to recoup its share of the profits and in 2013 a Swiss arbitrator made a preliminary ruling that Israel pay Iran $100 million in compensation. And the saga goes on and on. Paul Rivlin, Senior Research Fellow at Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East Studies, helps us makes sense of it all.
Israeli Medical Marijuana Company to trade on Wall Street
Following a merger with Dynamic Application, Israeli marijuana company One World Cannabis will be traded over the counter on Wall Street. We talk to Dr, Yehuda Baruch, research manager at One World Cannabis about the blooming medical marijuana industry and One World’s efforts to isolate the medicinal effects of cannabis oil.
