Israel's stock market closed modestly lower on Thursday as sector-level declines in Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Technology pushed the benchmark down. At the end of trading in Tel Aviv, the TA 35 fell 0.28% and registered a fresh one-month low.
Among the TA 35 components, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TASE:TEVA) was the session's strongest performer, rising 5.69% - an increase of 531.00 points - to finish at 9,869.00. NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) also gained ground, adding 2.92% or 790.00 points to close at 27,830.00. Insurer Menora Mivtachim Holdings (TASE:MMHD) advanced 1.61%, up 780.00 points to 49,180.00 in late trade.
On the downside, Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) led losses, sliding 5.66% - down 4,470.00 points - to end the session at 74,500.00. Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) fell 3.52% or 1,040.00 points to close at 28,530.00, while ICL Israel Chemicals Ltd (TASE:ICL) declined 2.99%, off 53.00 points to 1,720.00.
Market breadth favored decliners: 323 stocks fell compared with 150 advancers, and 79 issues finished unchanged on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Commodities trading reflected notable moves during the session. Crude oil for July delivery dropped 3.16%, a decrease of 3.03, to settle at $92.99 a barrel. Brent crude for August delivery fell 2.56% or 2.50, reaching $95.31 a barrel. Precious metals posted gains, with the August Gold Futures contract rising 0.54% or 24.07 to trade at $4,490.97 a troy ounce.
Foreign exchange rates moved higher against the shekel. The USD/ILS exchange rate rose 0.65% to 2.89, while EUR/ILS increased 0.96% to 3.36. The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.23% at 99.27 as of the close.
This session's price action left the TA 35 below its recent peaks, with losses concentrated in sectors that the market identified as under pressure today: Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Technology. However, several large-cap names including Teva and NICE recorded gains, offsetting some of the downside at the index level.
The trading day combined equity weakness with falling global oil benchmarks and modest moves in currencies and gold, reflecting a mix of forces across asset classes as the local market closed for the day.