Foreign exchange reserves in Israel

The Bank of Israel's foreign exchange reserves are the pool of foreign-currency assets (dollars, euros, gold, IMF SDRs and other liquid assets) held by the central bank to intervene in the currency market, underpin the stability of the shekel and meet the country's external liquidity needs.

The Bank of Israel publishes monthly, within days of month-end, the total level of reserves in millions of dollars and its change from the previous month, in a press release ('Foreign Exchange Reserves at the Bank of Israel').

A high and rising level bolsters the central bank's ability to intervene and defend the shekel during bouts of volatility or capital outflows. Sharp falls may signal heavy intervention or balance-of-payments strains, which matters for a country running a current account surplus and a strong tech-export sector.

The monthly figure does not break down by asset type (currencies, gold, SDRs); the detailed composition appears only in the annual reserves management report. The level is affected by market valuation, so the monthly change is not equivalent to actual intervention flows.