Stock Markets February 20, 2026

Tel Aviv Stocks Close Higher; TA 35 Advances 0.52%

Insurance, real estate and oil & gas sectors lead gains as market breadth favors advancers

By Nina Shah
Tel Aviv Stocks Close Higher; TA 35 Advances 0.52%

Israel's equity market finished higher on Friday as sector strength in insurance, real estate and oil & gas supported a 0.52% gain in the TA 35 index. Several large-cap names posted notable gains and new highs, while energy commodities and currency markets showed mixed moves into the close of trading.

Key Points

  • TA 35 closed up 0.52% with leadership from the Insurance, Real Estate and Oil & Gas sectors.
  • Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) and Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) reached all-time highs during the session; NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) also posted a strong gain.
  • Commodities and FX were mixed: crude and Brent oil fell modestly while April gold futures rose; USD/ILS and EUR/ILS both declined.

Israel's stock market ended the trading day in positive territory on Friday, with the benchmark TA 35 index rising 0.52% at the close in Tel Aviv. Gains were broad-based but led by stocks in the Insurance, Real Estate and Oil & Gas sectors.


Top performers

  • Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) led the session's winners, finishing up 6.04%, a rise of 1,890.00 points to close at 33,200.00. The stock marked an all-time high in the session.
  • NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) advanced 5.41%, gaining 1,850.00 points to end at 36,050.00.
  • Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) climbed 3.20%, adding 7,200.00 points to reach 232,300.00 at the close, also recording an all-time high during the session.

Lagging names

  • OPC Energy Ltd (TASE:OPCE) was the session's weakest name on the TA 35, sliding 2.28% or 225.00 points to finish at 9,655.00.
  • Leumi (TASE:LUMI) declined 1.63%, down 126.00 points to 7,623.00.
  • Nova (TASE:NVMI) fell 1.49%, a loss of 2,090.00 points to close at 138,210.00.

Market breadth and breadth metrics

Advancers outnumbered decliners on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, with 307 stocks higher versus 149 lower; 91 issues finished unchanged.


Commodities and currency moves

Commodities displayed mixed performance. Crude oil for April delivery slipped 0.56%, losing $0.37 to trade at $66.03 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery fell 0.54%, down $0.39 to $71.27 a barrel. In precious metals, the April Gold Futures contract rose 1.32%, gaining $65.89 to trade at $5,063.29 a troy ounce.

In currency markets, USD/ILS fell 0.71% to 3.12, while EUR/ILS dropped 0.57% to 3.67. The US Dollar Index Futures was lower by 0.22%, at 97.64.


Closing note

The session closed with select large-cap names posting double-digit percentage moves and two companies reaching session highs. Overall, the TA 35's modest advance came amid mixed commodity and currency signals as market participants closed the week.

Risks

  • Movements in crude and Brent oil prices - which fell during the session - may introduce near-term volatility for energy sector stocks.
  • Currency fluctuations - the declines in USD/ILS and EUR/ILS - could affect exporters, importers and companies with significant foreign-currency exposure.
  • Divergent commodity performance, including a notable rise in gold futures, creates mixed signals that may influence sector rotation and investor positioning.

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