Better late than never
EVER since 1988, when the Israeli government was forced to buy the country's biggest banks after a financial scandal, politicians have tried—and failed—to return them to the private sector. Now the politicians can claim a success. On September 5th, 43% of Bank Hapoalim, the biggest bank, was sold to an Israeli-American consortium. An upheaval in Israeli finance may soon follow.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Better late than never”
Discover more
The great-man theory of Wall Street
Why finance is still dominated by bold individuals
Hong Kong’s property slump may be terminal
Demographics and geopolitics will make a recovery harder
Why everyone wants to lend to weak companies
An unanticipated side-effect of Donald Trump’s election victory
American veterans now receive absurdly generous benefits
An enormous rise in disability payments may complicate debt-reduction efforts
Why Black Friday sales grow more annoying every year
Nobody is to blame. Everyone suffers
Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars
Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer