Israeli equities finished Tuesday on a positive tone, with the benchmark TA-35 rising to a record close as sector gains concentrated in insurance, financials and banking pushed the market higher.
At the close in Tel Aviv, the TA-35 added 1.79% to reach a new all-time high.
The session's strongest performers within the TA-35 included Menora Miv Hld (TASE:MMHD), which climbed 6.96% or 3,130.00 points to finish at 48,100.00. Azrieli Group Ltd (TASE:AZRG) gained 5.83% or 2,450.00 points to close at 44,450.00, and Harel (TASE:HARL) rose 5.65% or 890.00 points to end the day at 16,640.00.
Not all large-cap names advanced. The heaviest decliners among the quoted TA-35 stocks were Amot Investments Ltd (TASE:AMOT), down 5.30% or 126.00 points to 2,253.00 at the close, Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM), which fell 4.39% or 1,990.00 points to end at 43,310.00, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TASE:TEVA), slipping 0.19% or 20.00 points to 10,640.00.
Market breadth on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange favored advancing issues: 306 stocks rose versus 160 that declined. An additional 81 shares finished unchanged.
Several individual names pushed to new highs during the session. Shares of Menora Miv Hld reached all-time highs, rising 6.96% or 3,130.00 to 48,100.00. Azrieli Group Ltd also traded at a record level, increasing 5.83% or 2,450.00 to 44,450.00. Harel likewise set a new high, up 5.65% or 890.00 to 16,640.00.
Commodities and currency markets showed mixed moves alongside the equity advances. Crude oil for March delivery edged down 0.14% or 0.09 to $64.27 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery ticked up 0.13% or 0.09 to $69.13 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract declined 0.60% or 30.51 to trade at $5,048.89 a troy ounce.
In currency trading, the USD/ILS pair fell 0.22% to 3.08, while EUR/ILS decreased 0.16% to 3.67. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.15% at 96.54.
The close continued a session in which gains concentrated in a handful of sectors and individual stocks, producing an overall uptick in Israel's large-cap benchmark while a subset of names posted notable losses.