Stanley Fischer
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Governor of the Bank of Israel, Stanley Fischer, has been voted top central banker in his category by Global Finance Magazine.
Fischer was awarded an A-, the highest score possible, in the Middle East and Africa. Among the other six bankers to receive such a score is Australia's Glenn Stevens.
Surprisingly, the US's Ben Bernanke received a relatively low grade of C-, despite his efforts at culling economic discontent in his country.
Global Finance explained that Fischer had scored high because he intervened aggressively in the foreign currency market and thus guaranteed that the rising value of Israeli shekel would not harm the country's economy.
The magazine said Fischer had succeeded in minimizing the impact of the global economic crisis on Israel's market and that his purchase of millions of dollars had bolstered exports.