Stock Markets April 16, 2026 10:55 AM

Tel Aviv Benchmark Retreats as Banking, Biomed and Energy Stocks Weigh on Market

TA 35 slips 1.13% at Thursday close as declines outnumber gains and commodity prices move higher

By Caleb Monroe NICE NVMI STRS ENLT
Tel Aviv Benchmark Retreats as Banking, Biomed and Energy Stocks Weigh on Market
NICE NVMI STRS ENLT

Israel's stock market closed lower on Thursday, with the TA 35 falling 1.13% as losses in the Banking, Biomed and Oil & Gas sectors pushed more names into negative territory than positive. Market breadth favored decliners, while select technology and cybersecurity names posted gains. Commodities moved notably, with crude and Brent rising and gold retreating slightly. Foreign exchange pairs involving the shekel were largely stable.

Key Points

  • TA 35 closed down 1.13% at the Tel Aviv market close on Thursday.
  • Sector weakness centered on Banking, Biomed and Oil & Gas, contributing to a larger number of decliners than advancers.
  • Notable movers included NXSN, NICE and NVMI on the upside, and STRS, ENLT and ESLT on the downside; NVMI reached an all-time high.

Israel's principal equities index ended the trading day in the red on Thursday, as sector-level weakness in Banking, Biomed and Oil & Gas contributed to a 1.13% decline in the TA 35 at the close in Tel Aviv.

Market breadth skewed to the downside: 282 stocks fell versus 189 that advanced, and 81 issues finished unchanged. The session produced a mix of notable winners and losers across market segments.

Top performers

  • Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) was the session's strongest performer on the TA 35, rising 4.99% - a gain of 1,370.00 points - to close at 28,830.00.
  • NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) added 3.54% or 1,070.00 points to finish the day at 31,330.00.
  • Nova (TASE:NVMI) climbed 1.44%, an increase of 2,200.00 points, to trade at 154,680.00 in late trade; the stock reached an all-time high at that level.

Largest declines

  • Strauss Group (TASE:STRS) posted the steepest loss among the cited names, falling 5.08% or 680.00 points to end at 12,710.00.
  • Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd (TASE:ENLT) declined 3.51%, a drop of 870.00 points, to close at 23,900.00.
  • Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) decreased 3.08% or 8,400.00 points to finish at 264,500.00.

On the commodities front, crude oil for May delivery rose 2.38% - up $2.17 - to $93.46 a barrel. Brent oil for June delivery gained 3.17% or $3.01, reaching $97.94 a barrel. Precious metals showed mixed moves, with the June Gold Futures contract falling 0.24% - down $11.39 - to trade at $4,812.21 a troy ounce.

Foreign-exchange and broader market indicators were relatively steady. USD/ILS was unchanged 0.07% at 3.00, while EUR/ILS slipped 0.16% to 3.53. The US Dollar Index Futures rose 0.24% to 98.08.

This session's activity left a clear distribution between winners and losers and highlighted sector-specific pressure in Banking, Biomed and Oil & Gas, even as select technology and related names posted gains.

Risks

  • Broad sector declines in Banking, Biomed and Oil & Gas could continue to put pressure on the TA 35 performance - impacts mainly felt in financials, healthcare and energy sectors.
  • Commodity price swings, such as rising crude and Brent prices, introduce volatility that can affect energy names and related market sentiment.
  • Concentrated declines among large-cap names may exacerbate index weakness if selling persists - relevant to major components of the TA 35.

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