The Israeli New Shekel (Hebrew: שֶׁקֶל חָדָשׁ‎‎ Sheqel Ḥadash) (sign: ₪; acronym: ש״ח and in English NIS; code: ILS) (officially spelt sheqel; pl. sheqalim pronounced shqalim – שקלים; Arabic: شيكل جديد‎ or شيقل جديد šēqel ǧadīd) is the currency of the State of Israel. The shekel consists of 100 agorot (אגורות) (sing. agora, אגורה). Denominations made in this currency are marked with the shekel sign, ₪. The Israeli new shekel is in use since 1 January 1986 when it replaced the Old Israeli shekel that was in usage between 24 February 1980 and 31 December 1985, at a ratio of 1000:1.

The Israeli lira, followed by the old sheqel, both experienced frequent devaluations against the US dollar and other foreign currencies starting in the early 1960s and accelerating from the mid-1970s onwards. This trend culminated in the old sheqel suffering from hyperinflation in the early 1980s. After inflation was contained as a result of the 1985 Economic Stabilization Plan, the new sheqel was introduced, replacing the old sheqel on January 1, 1986, at a rate of 1,000 old sheqalim = 1 new sheqel.

Timothy Maxwell "Max" Keiser (born January 23, 1960) is an American broadcaster and film-maker. He hosts Keiser Report, a financial program broadcast on RT (formerly Russia Today). Keiser also anchors On the Edge, a program of news and analysis hosted by Iran's Press TV. He hosted the New Year's Eve special, The Keiser's Business Guide to 2010 for BBC Radio 5 Live. Keiser presented a season of The Oracle with Max Keiser on BBC World News. Previously he produced and appeared regularly in the TV series People & Power on the Al-Jazeera English network. He also presents a weekly show about finance and markets on London's Resonance FM, as well as writing for The Huffington Post.

In addition to his broadcasting work Keiser is known for his invention of "Virtual Specialist Technology", a software system used by the Hollywood Stock Exchange.

Keiser has been involved with markets and finance for 25 years. He started his career as a stock broker on Wall Street after graduating from New York University.