MSCIelevates Israel’s ranking

MSCIelevates Israel’s ranking

Bloomberg
Israel, with $134.5 billion in stock-market value, was the 14th-biggest nation classified as an emerging economy by the New York-based firm. South Korea will be evaluated for the developed-markets designation again in 2010, MSCI said.

The TA-25 Index of Tel Aviv shares has surged 30 percent in 2009, beating 20 out of 23 developed markets tracked by MSCI. Israeli technology and chemical companies may attract increased investment, according to Michael Wang, London-based strategist at Morgan Stanley.

Israel will shift in 2010. MSCI also said it will consider making Taiwan a developed market. The firm announced that the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait will remain frontier markets. Tel Aviv Stock Exchange chief executive Ester Levanon said Israel’s upgrade will draw "endless" investment opportunities.