Israel's equity market closed in positive territory on Thursday, with the TA 35 index finishing the trading day up 0.27% in Tel Aviv. Gains were concentrated in the Banking, Biomed and Financials sectors, which helped offset weakness elsewhere.
Among the index constituents, Ormat Technologies (TASE:ORA) was the session's strongest performer, rising 8.98% - an increase of 2,670.00 points - to finish at 32,390.00. Leumi (TASE:LUMI) added 2.51% or 182.00 points to end the day at 7,442.00, while Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Corp Ltd (TASE:BEZQ) climbed 2.44% or 17.80 points to close at 748.20.
Not all names advanced. Strauss Group (TASE:STRS) registered the largest decline on the TA 35, falling 3.32% or 380.00 points to trade at 11,070.00 at the close. Mega Or (TASE:MGOR) slipped 3.17% or 1,470.00 points to finish at 44,900.00, and Nova (TASE:NVMI) declined 2.71% or 3,350.00 points to end the session at 120,480.00.
Market breadth in Tel Aviv showed more decliners than advancers, with 299 falling stocks compared with 181 rising issues; 79 stocks were unchanged at the close.
Commodities and futures
Energy markets moved higher: crude oil for September delivery rose 1.90% or 1.43 to $76.65 a barrel, while Brent oil for October delivery increased 2.25% or 1.79 to $81.24 a barrel. In metals, the December Gold Futures contract gained 0.60% or 25.89 to trade at $4,331.09 a troy ounce.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.18% at 99.73 at the time of the close of Israeli trading.
FX moves
FX crosses involving the shekel were little changed in the session. USD/ILS was unchanged 0.13% to 3.01, while EUR/ILS was unchanged 0.02% to 3.47.
This close-of-day snapshot captures the index-level move and the main individual stock and commodity shifts that shaped trading in Tel Aviv on Thursday.