The recent surge in the dollar continued Friday morning, and it now is trading at 3.738 shekels. The shekel declined approximately three percent this week, capping off a 15-plus percent drop in its value the past three months.

If the present rate continues until the end of the month, it will partially offset an expected sharp drop in the price of gasoline when the government adjusts the monthly price ceiling November 1. The price of crude oil has dropped by more than 30 percent in the past month and broke below $70 a barrel Thursday for the first time in a year.