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The Israeli new shekel ( ' Arabic: ' ) (sign: ₪; acronym: ש״ח and in English NIS; code: ILS) (pl. ''sheqalim'' – ; ) is the currency of the State of Israel. It is also used in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The shekel consists of 100 ''agorot'' () (sing. ''agora'', ). Denominations made in this currency are marked with the shekel sign, ₪. The ''Israeli new shekel'' has been in use since 1 January 1986 when it replaced the old shekel that was in usage between 24 February 1980 and 31 December 1985, at a ratio of 1000:1. The authoritative spelling on Israeli coins and banknotes is new sheqel, pl. new sheqalim, though the spelling ''shekel'' is also commonly used. == History == The Israeli lira, followed by the old shekel, experienced frequent devaluations against the US dollar and other foreign currencies, starting in the early 1960s and accelerating from the mid-1970s. This trend culminated in the old shekel suffering from hyperinflation in the early 1980s. After inflation was contained as a result of the 1985 Economic Stabilization Plan, the new shekel was introduced, replacing the old shekel on 1 January 1986, at a rate of 1,000 old sheqalim = 1 new shekel. Since the economic crisis of the 1980s and the subsequent introduction of the New Shekel, the Bank of Israel and the government of Israel have maintained much more careful and conservative fiscal and monetary policies, and have gradually introduced various market-based economic reforms. In addition, the signing of free trade agreements helped the Israeli economy become more competitive, while heavy investment in its industrial and scientific base allowed the country to take advantage of opportunities associated with the rise of the global knowledge economy, thus greatly increasing exports and opening new markets for its products and services. As a result of these factors, inflation has been relatively low and the country now maintains a positive balance of payments, with a current account surplus equivalent to about 3% of its GDP in 2010. Consequently, its currency has strengthened considerably, rising approximately 20% in value relative to the US dollar in the 2000s decade, thereby reversing the trend of historical weakness the Israeli currency exhibited in the decades prior. In the future, the exploitation of recently discovered natural gas reserves off the Israeli coastline that is expected to begin in the mid-2010s decade and onwards may serve to further strengthen the Israeli currency. Since 1 January 2003, the shekel has been a freely convertible currency. Since 7 May 2006, shekel derivative trading has also been available on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. This makes the shekel one of only twenty or so world currencies for which there are widely available currency futures contracts in the foreign exchange market. It is also a currency that can be exchanged by consumers in many parts of the world.〔(Israelis can soon travel the world with shekels in their pockets ) Haaretz〕〔(shekel begins trading on global markets ) Jerusalem Post〕 On 26 May 2008, CLS Bank International announced that it would settle payment instructions in Israeli New shekel, making the currency fully convertible.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 date=26 May 2008 )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Israeli new shekel」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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