Israel's equity benchmark closed modestly lower Tuesday as declines across the Insurance, Biomed and Technology sectors outweighed advances in a handful of large-cap names. The TA-35 ended the session down 0.08%, marking a fresh one-month low at the close in Tel Aviv.
Among individual movers, Newmed Energy LP (TASE:NWMDp) topped the index's gainers, advancing 4.22% or 72.00 points to finish at 1,780.00. NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) added 3.61% or 960.00 points to close at 27,570.00, and Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) rose 3.17% or 6,940.00 points to end the session at 226,000.00.
On the downside, Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) was the session's largest decliner on the TA-35, slipping 6.44% or 3,030.00 points to close at 44,040.00. Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) fell 5.22% or 3,860.00 points to finish at 70,110.00, while Nova (TASE:NVMI) declined 4.26% or 6,100.00 points to 137,200.00 at the close.
Market breadth on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange was slightly positive by count, with 246 advancing issues versus 229 decliners, and 76 stocks ending unchanged.
Commodities moved lower during the session. Crude oil for July delivery fell 0.86% or 0.90 to $103.48 a barrel. Brent oil for July delivery dropped 1.28% or 1.43 to $110.67 a barrel. Precious metals also retreated, with the June Gold Futures contract down 1.47% or 66.80 to trade at $4,491.20 a troy ounce.
In currency markets, the Israeli shekel weakened versus major currencies. USD/ILS rose 1.26% to 2.93 and EUR/ILS increased 0.76% to 3.40. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.25% at 99.35.
Market context and implications
Although several headline names posted double-digit basis-point gains, sector-level pressure in Insurance, Biomed and Technology was sufficient to push the headline index to a one-month low. Breadth indicators showed a modest tilt in favor of advancing issues, signaling mixed internals behind the headline decline.
Summary of key market moves
- TA-35 down 0.08% to a one-month low.
- Top gainers included NWMDp (+4.22%), NICE (+3.61%) and ESLT (+3.17%).
- Largest decliners included CAMT (-6.44%), TSEM (-5.22%) and NVMI (-4.26%).
- Crude, Brent and gold all fell; USD/ILS and EUR/ILS strengthened.