Israel's main stock index ended the trading session in positive territory on Thursday, supported by strength in the Banking, Financials and Insurance sectors.
At the close in Tel Aviv, the TA 35 increased 0.88%.
The session's strongest performers on the TA 35 included Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM), which gained 5.19% - up 4,120.00 points to close at 83,570.00. Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) added 5.10%, rising 2,740.00 points to finish at 56,450.00, and Ormat Technologies (TASE:ORA) advanced 3.58% with a 1,310.00-point gain to end the day at 37,940.00.
On the downside, Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) led declines, dropping 5.40% or 1,550.00 points to close at 27,160.00. Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) fell 3.97%, down 9,600.00 points to 232,300.00, while ICL Israel Chemicals Ltd (TASE:ICL) lost 3.76%, sliding 59.00 points to 1,510.00.
Market breadth on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was modestly positive: 246 stocks rose, 227 fell and 83 were unchanged.
Tower Semiconductor's shares moved to 5-year highs during the session, marking a notable milestone for the chipmaker as it recorded the 5.19% uptick to 83,570.00.
Commodities and currency moves accompanied the equity gains. Crude oil for July delivery fell 3.46% or 2.66 to $74.13 a barrel. Brent oil for August delivery dropped 3.14% or 2.50 to $77.05 a barrel. Precious metals also retreated, with the August Gold Futures contract down 2.63% or 115.10 to trade at $4,266.30 a troy ounce.
In foreign-exchange action, USD/ILS decreased 0.24% to 2.94, and EUR/ILS fell 0.41% to 3.37. Additionally, the US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.50% at 100.37.
Key movers noted on the day included a mix of technology, defense and materials stocks, reflecting both sector leadership and isolated weakness. The gains in the Banking, Financials and Insurance sectors helped underpin the broader index advance, while declines in specific industrial and defense names weighed on certain portions of the market.
The overall picture at the close was one of modest optimism on the main index amid declines in energy and metals benchmarks.