The official value of the shekel declined an average of .031 percent on Thursday against most of the currencies on the Bank of Israel's foreign-exchange list. The United States dollar was fixed at NIS 3.51, down .057 percent, while the Euro rose .259 percent to 4.1456 shekels and the pound sterling was set at 4.644 shekels, up .013 percent.
The South African rand continued its dive, falling 3.249 percent to NIS .2472 against reports of a higher deficit and lower growth. The Canadian dollar was fixed at 2.7425, down .928 percent, a day after recording a three-month low.