Israel's stock market closed lower on Friday, with sector-wide weakness in Insurance, Technology and Financials driving the decline.
At the Tel Aviv close, the TA-35 fell 3.79% and registered a new one-month low.
The session's top performers on the TA-35 included Strauss Group (TASE:STRS), which appreciated 0.29% - up 40.00 points - to finish at 13,680.00. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TASE:TEVA) ended unchanged, holding steady at 9,225.00. Shapir Engineering Industry (TASE:SPEN) slipped 1.21% - down 46.00 points - to close at 3,754.00.
Among the heaviest falls, Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd (TASE:ENLT) lost 8.06%, a decline of 1,830.00 points, to settle at 20,870.00. Migdal Insurance (TASE:MGDL) fell 7.18%, off 134.00 points, to 1,732.00. Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) decreased 6.98%, losing 2,360.00 points to finish the session at 31,430.00.
Market breadth at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was skewed toward declines, with 342 issues falling and 112 advancing; 97 shares finished unchanged.
Commodities moved notably alongside equities. Crude oil for May delivery rose 3.65%, up $3.45, to $97.93 a barrel. Brent crude for June delivery increased 2.11%, up $2.15, to $104.04 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract climbed 3.36%, gaining $148.30, to trade at $4,557.30 a troy ounce.
In foreign exchange markets, the U.S. dollar strengthened versus the shekel: USD/ILS moved up 0.21% to 3.14, while EUR/ILS rose 0.41% to 3.62. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures was up 0.11% at 99.82.
The close left the main index and several large-cap names in negative territory for the session, with only a handful of stocks posting gains or holding steady.
Summary
Friday's trading in Tel Aviv saw the TA-35 decline 3.79% to a one-month low as Insurance, Technology and Financials pressured the market. Strauss Group and Teva were among the few names that did not post steep losses, while Enlight, Migdal and Next Vision were the biggest decliners. Commodity prices for crude and gold rose, and the dollar strengthened modestly against the shekel.