Stock Markets March 19, 2026

Tel Aviv Stocks Close Higher as TA-35 Edges Up 0.23%

Oil & Gas, Technology and Banking sectors lead gains while select names hit multi-year and record highs

By Nina Shah
Tel Aviv Stocks Close Higher as TA-35 Edges Up 0.23%

Israel's main index finished modestly higher on Thursday with the TA-35 rising 0.23% at the close in Tel Aviv. Sector-level advances in Oil & Gas, Technology and Banking contributed to the uptick. Several individual stocks led the session, including Tower Semiconductor, Shapir Engineering and Navitas Petroleum, while Azrieli Group and parts of the insurance and real estate complex declined.

Key Points

  • TA-35 closed up 0.23% at the Tel Aviv market close, led by gains in Oil & Gas, Technology and Banking sectors.
  • Top individual risers included Tower Semiconductor (+11.54%), Shapir Engineering (+10.24%) and Navitas Petroleum (+6.74%); Azrieli Group (-6.64%) was the largest decliner.
  • Commodities and FX moves: Brent and US crude climbed more than 3%, April gold futures fell 6.24%, USD/ILS and EUR/ILS strengthened, and the US Dollar Index Futures eased.

Stocks in Israel ended the Thursday session in positive territory, with the benchmark TA-35 index gaining 0.23% at the close in Tel Aviv. Sector-strength in Oil & Gas, Technology and Banking supported the overall advance.


Top performers

  • Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) led gains on the TA-35, jumping 11.54% - a rise of 5,060.00 points - to finish at 48,900.00. The stock reached a five-year high in the session.
  • Shapir Engineering Industry (TASE:SPEN) climbed 10.24%, up 339.00 points to close at 3,650.00.
  • Navitas Petroleum LP Unit (TASE:NVPTp) added 6.74%, an increase of 910.00 points, ending the day at 14,410.00. The share price moved to an all-time high during the session.

Lagging names

  • Azrieli Group Ltd (TASE:AZRG) was the weakest on the TA-35, falling 6.64% - down 3,160.00 points - to close at 44,440.00.
  • Migdal Insurance (TASE:MGDL) slipped 2.47%, losing 43.00 points to finish at 1,695.00.
  • Mivne Real Estate KD Ltd (TASE:MVNE) fell 2.29%, down 33.00 points to 1,405.00 at the close.

Market breadth and notable moves

On the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, falling issues outnumbered advancing ones by 281 to 189, while 81 stocks finished unchanged.


Commodities and currencies

Crude oil for May delivery rose 3.35%, up $3.20, to $98.66 a barrel. Brent oil for May delivery increased 3.08%, or $3.31, to $110.69 a barrel. In metals, the April Gold Futures contract declined 6.24%, down $305.35, trading at $4,590.85 a troy ounce.

On the currency front, USD/ILS strengthened by 0.22% to 3.13, and EUR/ILS rose 0.74% to 3.60. The US Dollar Index Futures fell 0.32% to 99.56.


Session summary

The close saw modest overall gains on the TA-35 with select technology, energy and banking names posting the strongest returns, while components of real estate and insurance recorded declines. Several individual stocks reached multi-year or record highs during the session.

Risks

  • Market breadth showed more decliners than advancers (281 vs. 189), indicating uneven participation - this may affect sector-specific momentum, particularly in real estate and insurance.
  • Significant price moves in individual names could introduce volatility for portfolios concentrated in those stocks, notably for Technology and Oil & Gas exposures.
  • Large swings in commodity prices and currency pairs reported during the session could influence earnings and funding costs for companies sensitive to oil and FX movements.

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