PM hails ‘responsible economic policy’ as Israel gets A+ credit rating

Fitch boosts country from A with 'positive' outlook to A+ with 'stable' outlook; state now rated highly by all agencies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses Jewish leaders from around the world at the Knesset on November 1, 2016 (screen capture: YouTube)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday welcomed Israel’s new A+ credit rating from the prestigious Fitch Ratings, attributing it to his government’s “responsible economic policy.”

“More good news for the economy of Israel: the international credit rating company Fitch raised Israel’s credit rating to the level of A+ with a stable outlook. Israel is rated at this high rating in all three international companies S&P, Moody’s and Fitch,” the prime minister wrote in Hebrew on Facebook.

“The rise comes due to the responsible economic policy I led together with Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon,” he says. “We will continue strengthening our economy and leading Israel’s economy responsibly.”

Israel has been rated A1 with a stable outlook by Moody’s since mid-April 2008.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon presents the budget for 2016-2017 to the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 2, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Standard & Poor’s rated Israel A+ in September 2009, and has retained this rating to the present.

Fitch’s rating of A+ comes after it rated the country at A for nearly a decade. In April, the organization ranked Israel as A with a “positive” outlook.

All agencies rate Israel as having a stable or positive outlook. The last time the country was rated with a negative outlook was in 2002.

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