Moti Bassok

By comparison, between 2003 and 2009, spending by households rose 13.5%, according to an index created by the CBS.

The decision followed an annual visit to Israel by representatives of S&P several months ago.

The more encouraging jobless data come as forecasts for slower economic growth are being pushed back into next year.

Israeli households have taken out NIS 10.5 billion in mortgages this year through August, a 4.5% increase over the same period last year.

Fischer leaves interest rates unchanged.

Entity would identify risks and provide policy oversight in the event of a real crisis.

Finance Ministry officials expect the legislation, once passed, to lead to the payment of more than NIS 3 billion in taxes on the trapped profits next year.

Arbeli vows to meet collection goals for 2012 even as economy slows down.

The 12-month rise in the index is 1.9%, well within the government's target range of 1% to 3%. If housing costs are excluded, the rise is only 1.4%.

The growth in exports and a decline in imports of goods and services narrowed Israel's trade deficit for the March-June period to just $300 million from $2.5 billion in the first quarter.

Exports reached NIS 16.2 billion, after growing at an annual rate of 8% in June-August.

Around 52% of bank account holders find themselves in overdraft at least once a year, and 21% of them are in the red most of the time, according to the survey of 1,200 people.

'We will not allow the government to wreck the collective bargaining agreements it signed with us,' one Histadrut official said.

A survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics of business trends showed a negative 12.2% figure for August, down from -11.8% in July.

The two companies will operate through a joint venture called TOR and will include maintenance and logistical services as well as simulator systems.

If approved, the changes would affect the majority of the approximately 676,000 state employees.

2013 budget now a political, not economic, question.

The main item on the agenda is how to squeeze between NIS 13 billion and NIS 15 billion in budget cuts out of next year's spending.

The 12-month inflation rate stands at 1.4%. With season adjustments, this puts inflation for the year below the 1% floor of inflation targets, at 0.9%.

Netanyahu, Steinitz in nighttime meeting to discuss austerity budget for 2013

Numbers buttress concerns that housing market is heating up again.

The finance minister said unemployment fell in past three years, and was criticized both inside and out of the governing coalition.