Israeli Housing Market Index Hits a 6 Year Low

Israeli Housing Market Index Hits a 6 Year Low

The Mishkan Housing Market Index, a monthly index that measures the financial conditions of the Israeli Housing Market, hit a 6 year low in December 2010, the lowest since October 2004. The index is made up of 4 factors; the Israeli average salary, the unemployment rate, national apartment prices, and the mortgage interest rate. According to Bank HaPoalim, “the prices of homes in Israel rose 14.7% in the preceding 12 months. Since the last low point in 2007, prices has risen 38% in real terms”. That being said, the index has fallen 21% from its high point of 171 points in July 2008.Read more

Israeli Mortgage Interest Rate Rises, Yet Again…

Now let’s face it, mortgage rates in Israel aren’t exactly the most interesting thing in the world to most us outside of finance, but they’re sure as hell really important nonetheless. Here’s what you need to know—they’ve risen, yet again. Due to new regulations from the Bank of Israel (Israel’s Central Bank) in an effort to cool the hot housing market, the retail banks of the nation are in a frenzy coming up with a number of new regulations and rates, the majority of which are of no help to most us.

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