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Summary

 

  •   In 2012, there was virtually no change in business sector debt (0.1 percent), which remained around NIS 782 billion, with a continued decline in the ratio of business sector debt to GDP.
  •  The stability in business sector debt is a result of the combination of repayments of bank loans and an only moderate increase in non-bank debt issuances.
  •    Bond issuances by the business sector increased by about 8 percent in 2012, and were primarily issued by highly rated companies.
  •    Households' housing debt continued to expand in 2012 at a relatively rapid rate (6.9 percent), but a moderate decline can be seen in its rate of growth compared with the previous 2 years.
  •    In 2012, the interest rate on bank credit, and interest rates on mortgages, declined, in parallel with a decline in the Bank of Israel interest rate, as the interest rate gap between credit and deposits narrowed. The spreads between corporate bonds and government bonds declined toward the final quarter of 2012.