Tel Aviv equities finished the trading day in positive territory on Thursday, driven by strength in Oil & Gas, Technology and Biomed names. At the close, the TA-35 index was up 0.45%.
Top and bottom movers
The strongest performance on the TA-35 belonged to Nova (TASE:NVMI), which climbed 12.07% - an increase of 17,140.00 points - to finish at 159,140.00. Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) was the next best performer, advancing 8.49% or 6,300.00 points to close at 80,500.00. Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) also posted gains, rising 3.85% or 1,870.00 points to end the session at 50,470.00.
On the downside, ICL Israel Chemicals Ltd (TASE:ICL) led the decliners, falling 5.23% or 105.00 points to close at 1,903.00. Israel Discount Bank Ltd (TASE:DSCT) lost 3.79% or 121.00 points to finish at 3,069.00, and Bank Hapoalim (TASE:POLI) slipped 3.65% or 290.00 points to end at 7,653.00.
Market breadth and notable extremes
Declining shares outnumbered advancing ones on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange by 248 to 211, while 92 stocks ended unchanged. Nova's share price rose to an all-time high with its 12.07% gain, and Tower Semiconductor's move took it to a five-year high.
Commodities and currencies
Commodities were mixed in late trade. Crude oil for June delivery was down 0.02% or 0.02 to $101.00 a barrel. Brent oil for July delivery fell 0.13% or 0.14 to $105.49 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract declined 0.32% or 14.94 to trade at $4,691.76 a troy ounce.
In currency markets, USD/ILS was essentially unchanged, slipping 0.04% to 2.90, while EUR/ILS fell 0.23% to 3.39. The US Dollar Index futures were up 0.16% at 98.58.
Summary
Thursday's session closed with the TA-35 modestly higher, supported by notable advances in selected technology and biomed stocks and while some industrial and banking names declined. Market breadth favored decliners despite the index-level gain.
Key points
- TA-35 ended up 0.45% at the close, with gains concentrated in Oil & Gas, Technology and Biomed sectors.
- Nova (NVMI) rose 12.07% to an all-time high; Tower Semiconductor (TSEM) climbed 8.49% to a five-year high.
- ICL (ICL), Israel Discount Bank (DSCT) and Bank Hapoalim (POLI) were among the largest losers, weighing on breadth.
Risks and uncertainties
- Market breadth was negative, with more decliners (248) than advancers (211), which could signal uneven participation across sectors - this affects overall market stability.
- Large single-stock moves, such as the 12.07% gain in Nova and the 5.23% fall in ICL, introduce volatility risks for portfolios concentrated in those names or sectors.
- Mixed moves in commodities and currencies, including oil and gold, add uncertainty for resource-exposed companies and import/export-sensitive firms.