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The Composite State of the Economy Index increased by a moderate rate of 0.17 percent in July, similar to the average over the preceding 3 months. This pace is low compared to the Index’s long-term average.

The Index was positively influenced this month by increases in consumer goods imports (July), imports of production inputs (July), goods exports (July), employee posts (May), electricity production (July), and credit card purchases (July). In contrast, the Industrial Production Index (June), the services revenue index (June), services exports (May), and the job vacancy rate (July) declined and had a negative impact on the Index.

The Index data for February–June 2023 were revised due to updated data and the receipt of National Accounts data for the second quarter of 2023. Table 1 presents the retroactive revisions to the Index for previous months. Table 2 presents the development of components of the Index in the past few months.

Table 1: Revisions in the Composite Index (percent)

Revision

Previous figure

New figure

July

 

0.17

June

0.20

0.07

May

0.20

0.22

April

0.03

0.04

March

0.0

-0.01

February

0.10

0.07

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2: Changes in the Index components in recent months

(monthly percent change, unless otherwise noted)

 

July

June

May

April

Industrial Production Index

(excluding mining and quarrying)

 

-1.0

-1.7

0.6

Services Revenue Index

(excluding education and public administration)

 

-3.6

-0.2

-1.9

Retail Trade Revenue Index

 

0.0

1.8

0.4

Imports of consumer goods1

1.0

-2.4

-0.7

4.1

Imports of production inputs

(excluding fuels)1

2.4

-4.3

1.3

-2.2

Goods exports (excluding agriculture)1

3.0

0.2

0.4

2.7

Services exports (excluding transportation)2

 

 

-0.4

0.5

Number of employee posts in the private sector

 

 

0.1

-0.1

Job vacancy rate in the business sector3

3.7

3.9

4.0

4.0

Building starts4

 

 

 

 

Electricity production5

3.0

0.1

0.0

1.6

Credit card purchases6

0.2

0.3

1.2

0.1

 

1 Goods imports and exports are calculated in fixed prices (adjusted for changes in foreign trade price indices).

2 Services exports are calculated in real terms using the Consumer Price Index, and are comprised of the export of other business services and the export of tourism services.

3 The job vacancy rate is calculated out of the total number of employed people, and is included in the index at its seasonally adjusted level.

4 Since the Central Bureau of Statistics publishes data on building starts once per quarter, the data integrated into the model are at a monthly frequency based on additional sources, such that the distribution is consistent with the quarterly data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics (in percent, seasonally adjusted).

5 Electricity production is calculated as the rate of change relative to the previous month, adjusted for the effect of the weather and seasonality on daily, weekly, and annual bases.

6 The credit card purchases figure is the monthly seasonally adjusted change according to Central Bureau of Statistics publications.  When the CBS figure for a month is not available, the figure listed is the monthly rate of change according to daily data from SHVA, seasonally adjusted on weekly and monthly bases.

Detailed explanations regarding how the Composite Index is calculated, as well as detailed long-term tables, can be found at:

https://www.boi.org.il/en/economic-roles/statistics/the-bank-of-israels-composite-state-of-the-economy-index/