Stock Markets March 18, 2026

Tel Aviv Stocks Close Higher as Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Banks Lead Gains

TA 35 rises 1.24% as selective winners lift the market; Navitas Petroleum reaches new peak

By Leila Farooq CAMT ESLT
Tel Aviv Stocks Close Higher as Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Banks Lead Gains
CAMT ESLT

Israel's equity market closed higher on Wednesday, with the TA 35 climbing 1.24% as gains in the Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Banking sectors drove broader advances. Individual winners included Camtek, Navitas Petroleum and Delek Group, while Elbit Systems, Shapir Engineering and NICE were among the session's laggards. Commodity and currency moves accompanied the equity rally.

Key Points

  • TA 35 rose 1.24% at the close, led by Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Banking sectors.
  • Top gainers included CAMT (+5.40%), NVPTp (+5.06%, all-time high), and DLEKG (+5.01%); major decliners included ESLT (-3.21%), SPEN (-2.85%), and NICE (-2.06%).
  • Commodities and FX moved notably: Brent and crude oil rose, gold fell, USD/ILS and the US Dollar Index Futures strengthened.

Israel stocks finished the trading day higher on Wednesday, with sector strength in Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Banking supporting the rise. At the close in Tel Aviv, the benchmark TA 35 index was up 1.24%.

Top movers - On the TA 35 roster, Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) led gains, rising 5.40% or 2,640.00 points to finish at 51,540.00. Navitas Petroleum LP Unit (TASE:NVPTp) climbed 5.06% or 650.00 points to close at 13,500.00, and Delek Group (TASE:DLEKG) advanced 5.01% or 5,520.00 points to 115,620.00 by the end of trading.

Largest decliners - Among the session's weakest performers, Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) fell 3.21% or 9,900.00 points to 298,100.00 at the close. Shapir Engineering Industry (TASE:SPEN) slipped 2.85% or 97.00 points to end at 3,311.00, while NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) was down 2.06% or 770.00 points to 36,610.00.

Market breadth favored advancers over decliners on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, with 276 stocks rising and 190 declining; 85 issues finished unchanged.

Notably, shares of Navitas Petroleum LP Unit (TASE:NVPTp) reached an all-time high during the session, advancing 5.06% or 650.00 points to close at 13,500.00.

Commodities and currencies - In commodities trading, crude oil for May delivery rose 1.83% or 1.75 to $97.28 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery increased 4.95% or 5.12 to $108.54 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract declined 2.80% or 140.19 to trade at $4,868.01 a troy ounce.

On the foreign exchange front, USD/ILS was up 0.29% to 3.10, while EUR/ILS moved 0.10% to 3.57. The US Dollar Index Futures gained 0.24% to 99.57.

Outlook - The session reflected selective strength in resource-linked and financial names, coinciding with notable moves in oil and foreign exchange markets. The advance in the TA 35 was driven by a subset of large-cap winners rather than broad-based uniform gains across all sectors.


Summary

The TA 35 closed 1.24% higher on Wednesday amid sector-led gains in Oil & Gas, Real Estate and Banking. Camtek, Navitas Petroleum and Delek Group were the best performers, while Elbit Systems, Shapir Engineering and NICE posted the largest declines. Market breadth showed more winners than losers, and Navitas Petroleum hit an all-time high. Commodity prices were mixed with crude and Brent higher and gold lower, while USD/ILS and US Dollar Index Futures strengthened.

Risks

  • Concentration risk - The TA 35 advance was driven by a subset of large-cap winners rather than broad-based gains, which may leave the market sensitive if those names reverse (impacts Equity, Banking, Real Estate sectors).
  • Commodity price volatility - Moves in crude and Brent oil could introduce uncertainty for energy-related stocks and broader market sentiment (impacts Oil & Gas sector).
  • Currency swings - Strength in USD/ILS and the US Dollar Index Futures could affect export-oriented companies and sectors sensitive to exchange rates (impacts multi-currency corporate earnings).

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