Israel's equity market closed higher on Tuesday, with the TA-35 rising 1.74% to reach a new record closing level. Sector strength in Insurance, Financials and Oil & Gas underpinned the advance, while several technology-related issuers lagged.
At the close in Tel Aviv, the benchmark added 1.74%, marking a fresh all-time high for the index. Market breadth favored gainers: 326 stocks rose, 151 declined and 71 finished unchanged.
The session's top performers on the TA-35 included Menora Miv Hld (TASE:MMHD), which climbed 7.29%, or 2,990.00 points, finishing at 44,000.00. OPC Energy Ltd (TASE:OPCE) advanced 5.89%, or 501.00 points, to close at 9,011.00, and Phoenix Holdings Ltd (TASE:PHOE) gained 5.81%, or 900.00 points, to finish at 16,400.00. OPC Energy and Phoenix Holdings each closed at all-time highs during the session.
On the downside, Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) led losses among headline names, falling 2.76%, or 1,190.00 points, to close at 41,950.00. Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) declined 2.01%, or 910.00 points, to end at 44,420.00, and Nova (TASE:NVMI) slipped 1.61%, or 2,290.00 points, to 140,010.00.
Commodity markets saw notable moves that accompanied the equity action. Crude oil for March delivery rose 1.22%, or 0.76, to $62.90 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery increased 0.97%, or 0.64, to $66.94 a barrel. Precious metals also moved higher, with the April Gold Futures contract rising 6.52%, or 303.56, to trade at $4,956.16 a troy ounce.
Currency markets reflected modest moves against the shekel. The USD/ILS rate fell 0.42% to 3.08, and EUR/ILS declined 0.23% to 3.64. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.22% at 97.28.
Overall, the day's trading displayed a split between sectors driving the benchmark's record close and others that weighed on performance. Insurance and financial firms, along with energy-related stocks, provided upward momentum, while several semiconductor and equipment names recorded declines.
Market snapshot:
- TA-35: +1.74% (new closing high)
- Leading gainers: Menora Miv Hld (MMHD), OPC Energy (OPCE), Phoenix Holdings (PHOE)
- Largest decliners: Tower Semiconductor (TSEM), Camtek (CAMT), Nova (NVMI)
- Commodities: Brent and WTI higher; gold futures up sharply
- Currencies: USD/ILS and EUR/ILS both moved lower