Facebook Feed
Yoram Ettinger

5 days ago

Yoram Ettinger
2023 Jewish demographic momentum in Israel: bit.ly/40qV0aV ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Yoram Ettinger

4 weeks ago

Yoram Ettinger
Purim Guide for the Perplexed 2023: bit.ly/3ZdlxHY ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Yoram Ettinger

4 weeks ago

Yoram Ettinger
אתגר מרכזי לביטחון לאומי: bit.ly/3xkSwh1 ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Israel ranks 11th in UN Happiness Report

  • Posted on: July 1st, 2018

Straight from the Jerusalem Boardroom #230, June 29, 2018 https://bit.ly/2yTuxKs

1. According to the UN 2018 World Happiness Report (based on Gallup World Poll survey), Israel ranks 11th, as it was ranked in 2017, trailing Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia. The ranking is based on life expectancy, income, social support, freedom, trust and generosity. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, 89.8% of Israeli Jews and 80.7% of Israeli Arabs – age 20 and above – are satisfied/happy, while 85% of Israeli Jews and 89% of Israeli Arabs feel safe (The Marker, June 29, 2018).

2. Warren Buffett, the Chairman, President and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway: “I’ve lived through Israel’s entire 70-year history and I believe it is one of the most remarkable countries in the world…. It is a good thing for Israel that there is an America, and it is a good thing for America that there is an Israel…. (Jerusalem Post, June 14).”

3. The Germany-based Skion GmbH private investment bank led – along with Germany’s Altana – a $300MN round of investment in Israel’s Landa Digital (nanography) Printing. Both investors are owned by the $25BN net worth Susanne Klatten, Germany’s wealthiest woman. (Globes Business Daily, June 28).

4. The Dutch healthcare technology giant, Philips, acquired Israel’s cardiac imaging EPD Medical (image-guided procedures for heart rhythm disorders) for $292MN in cash in addition to $245MN in deferred milestone payments (Globes, June 7).

5. The Mountain View, California-based (FinTech) Intuit is expanding its Israel operation, hiring a few hundred more employees over the next three years, which will require $50MN annually. Intuit launched its Israel operation in 2014 upon acquiring Check for $360MN and then cyber technology Porticor for $10MN. Currently, Intuit explores the acquisition of a young artificial-intelligence Israeli company (Globes, June 27).

6. The France-based energy and automation giant, Schneider Electric – employing 170,000 persons in over 100 countries – will make a $25MN initial investment in 12 Israeli early-stage startups. Schneider Electric’s Chief Strategy Officer, Emmanuel Lagarrigue said: “In Israel, as in the Silicon Valley, companies like Intel, Amazon, Microsoft and Google are investing substantial amounts of money in their research & development.” Recently, Schneider invested in Israel’s Claroty (cyber technology), Atlantium and Nova Lumos (clean-tech). According to Lagarrigue, “What was amazing for me to discover is that the Israeli ecosystem is more lively and active than ever…. It has become far stronger thanks to specialization in fields like cyber security, in which Israelis are stronger than any other ecosystem, and to what is happening in the automotive industry, and the fact that the price of tomorrow’s car will be based on software, and this software will come from Israel. Israeli innovation complements what is being done in the Silicon Valley, which is in first place, and maybe also China’s Shenzhen…. One of the special things about the Israeli ecosystem is that there are entrepreneurs willing to solve tough problems that we are dealing with…. You find many Israeli entrepreneurs who tell us: ‘Give us a problem and we’ll solve it for you.’ This is an excellent starting point for cooperation” (Globes, June 21).

7. Israel’s Galmed – a fatty liver drug developer – raised $75MN on Nasdaq, underwritten by the Atlanta-based SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, the St. Louis, MO-based Stifel, the NYC-based Cantor Fitzgerlad, the St. Petersburg, FL-based Raymond James and the Newport Beach, CA-based Roth Capital Partners as chief-underwriters, in addition to the NYC-based Maxim Group and the NYC and New Orleans-based Seaport Global Securities as secondary underwriters. (Globes, June 22).

8. Israel’s fintech (alternative business lending/investing technologies) BlueVine raised $60MN, led by Menlo Ventures, joined by Silicon Valley Bank, the Menlo Park-based Lightspeed Venture Partners, the London-based 83North Venture Capital, and Japan’s Rakuten (Globes, June 6).

9. The China-based Alibaba Group led a $26MN second-round of private placement in Israel’s (Graphic Processing Unit) SQream, joined by the Israel-based Hanaco Venture Capital, the Moscow and San Francisco-based Sistema Venture Capital, the NYC-based World Trade Ventures, the Florida-based Paradiso Ventures, the China-Israel-based Glory Ventures and the NY-based SilverTech Ventures. In addition, Alibaba signed a strategic agreement with SQream (Globes, May 31).




Videos

The post-1967 turning point of US-Israel cooperation

Israeli benefits to the US taxpayer exceed US foreign aid to Israel

Iran - A Clear And Present Danger To The USA

Exposing the myth of the Arab demographic time bomb

Israel’s Covid-19 Economic Trends

  • Posted on: April 29th, 2021

Straight from the Jerusalem Boardroom #248
https://bit.ly/3u29k9g

Foreign investment in Israel’s high-tech companies surged to new heights in the 1st quarter of 2021 – $5.7bn in 172 deals – which is up 89% over the impressive 4th quarter of 2020 and double the volume of the 1st quarter of 2020.

2020 was the first year of surpassing $10bn in capital raised by the Israeli high-tech sector from investors in the US, Asia and Europe, who trust the maturity of Israel’s brain power. Investments in Israeli companies more than tripled in six years, reflecting the effective response by Israeli startups to the technological, medical, pharmaceutical, educational, social and digital challenges posed by Covid-19.

Israel’s economic performance in defiance of Covid-19 is presented by Dr. Adam Reuter, the Chairman and Founder of “Financial Immunities,” Israel’s largest financial-risk management firm, and the co-author of Israel – Island of Success:

  1. Israel has led the globe in the rapid administration of Covid-19 vaccinations due to effective negotiations with Pfizer and an efficient, country-wide medical infrastructure.
  2. Israel is the second lowest among OECD countries in the number of Covid-19 deaths per number of Covid-19 cases: 0.7% compared to the 2.3% OECD average. Israel features a young population (median age of 30 compared to the OECD’s 42) and an effective country-wide medical infrastructure, including top level HMOs and hospitals.
  3. Israel is ranked 12th from the bottom among the 37 OECD countries in the number of deaths per million inhabitants: 645 compared to 1,145 OECD average.
  4. The International Monetary Fund’s 2025 GDP growth forecast for OECD countries: Israel – 4%, OECD average – 2.2%, US – 1.8%, Australia – 2.5%, Ireland – 2.6%, France and Canada – 1.7%, the UK – 1.6%, Germany – 1.2%, etc.
  5. Israel’s 2020 GDP was reduced by 2.5%, compared to the OECD average reduction of 4.1%, South Korea – 1%, Norway – 0.8%, Australia – 2.6%, US – 3.5%, Japan – 4.8%, Germany – 5%, France – 8%, the UK – 10% reduction, etc. GDP growth was recorded in New Zealand – 2.4% and Ireland – 3.5%.
  6. In 2020, Israel was ranked 20th among the 37 members of the OECD in terms of GDP per capita, featuring $43,000 (GDP – $408bn), ahead of Japan, Italy and Spain, and very close behind the UK ($44,000) and France ($45,000).
  7. Israel’s debt-to-GDP ratio increased from 60% in 2019 to 72% in 2020, compared to the OECD’s average increase from 66% to 82%. The 2020’s debt-to-GDP ratio was 266% in Japan, Italy – 161%, the US – 131%, Germany – 73%, etc.
  8. Israel’s foreign exchange reserves-to-GDP ratio of 41% (3rd among the OECD countries) attests to its financial stability, and Israel’s capability to raise foreign credit promptly in a cost-effective manner. Israel’s foreign exchange reserves in March 2021 – $186bn.
  9. During the past decade, Standard and Poor (S&P) accorded Israel a positive credit rating trend, unlike the negative trend for the G-7 countries. In 2020, notwithstanding Covid-19, Israel’s credit rating (S&P) remained at AA.
  10. Some 380 global high-tech giants operate in Israel, including Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, Intel, Cisco, Apple, Verizon, Applied Materials, Dell, HP, Kodak, Oracle, Philips, SAP, Medtronics, GM, eBay, GE, etc. Israel leads the world in the ratio of research and development investment to GDP: 4.9%. 85% of this investment comes from the business sector.

 




Videos

The post-1967 turning point of US-Israel cooperation

Israeli benefits to the US taxpayer exceed US foreign aid to Israel

Iran - A Clear And Present Danger To The USA

Exposing the myth of the Arab demographic time bomb