Israel's stock market finished in negative territory on Thursday, with the main TA-35 index dropping 1.23% to record a new 1-month low at the close. Broad-based weakness was driven by declines in the Biomed, Oil & Gas and Communication sectors, which weighed on the overall market.
The session's top performers on the TA-35 included Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TASE:TEVA), which rose 2.70% - a gain of 270.00 points - to close at 10,270.00. Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) added 2.12%, or 1,040.00 points, finishing at 50,000.00, while Menora Miv Hld (TASE:MMHD) advanced 1.66% - up 750.00 points - to end the session at 46,050.00.
At the other end of the tape, Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) led losses after falling 6.98%, a decline of 1,830.00 points, to close at 24,380.00. Big Shopping Centers Ltd (TASE:BIG) slipped 4.39% or 3,010.00 points to 65,530.00, and Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) declined 4.11% - down 9,460.00 points - to finish at 220,610.00.
Market breadth favored decliners, with 306 stocks falling versus 165 advancing on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. An additional 86 issues finished unchanged.
Commodities showed modest moves in related markets: crude oil for August delivery was up 0.45% or 0.32 to $70.66 a barrel, while Brent oil for September delivery rose 0.37% or 0.27 to $74.14 a barrel. The August Gold Futures contract gained 0.60% or 23.95, trading at $4,032.75 a troy ounce.
In currency and dollar indexes, USD/ILS was reported unchanged 0.10% at 2.98, while EUR/ILS increased 0.28% to 3.39. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.22% at 101.17.
Market takeaway - The Tel Aviv session was marked by a clear skew toward declines, led by sector-specific weakness in Biomed, Oil & Gas and Communications, while a small group of large-cap names managed gains. Commodity prices were mixed and the dollar index eased slightly.
Data note - All prices, percentages and point changes reported reflect closing values for the session described.