Political commentator Yaakov Bardugo accused the Bank of Israel governor of deliberately slowing the pace of interest rate cuts, saying the decision to lower the rate to 3.5% was political rather than economic. "Whoever thinks the governor is not playing politics made a big mistake," Bardugo said on his the source. "He is doing it slowly so as not to help the current government." The rate cut was announced yesterday.
Political commentator Yaakov Bardugo on Tuesday morning directly accused the Bank of Israel governor of playing politics with monetary policy, following the central bank's decision to cut its benchmark interest rate to 3.5%.
Speaking on his the source, Bardugo said the governor is deliberately slowing the pace of rate cuts to avoid providing political cover for the current government. The accusation comes a day after the Bank of Israel reduced the rate by a quarter point, a move that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had already criticized as insufficient.
Bardugo's statement is a political opinion and has not been corroborated by independent sources. The central bank has not commented on the allegation. The rate cut itself was the second in a week, as the Bank of Israel signaled cautious confidence in the economy's recovery while warning that renewed fighting could derail the outlook.
- DevelopingMinister Barkat: Bank of Israel Rate Cut to 3.5% 'Not Enough' for Economy's Growth Needs
- DevelopingSmotrich criticizes Bank of Israel governor over 'minimal' rate cut
- DevelopingAnalysts assess Bank of Israel will cut interest rate by quarter point tomorrow
- StrongBank of Israel Cuts Rate to 3.5%, Warns Recovery Depends on No Renewed Fighting
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