Israel equities ended Thursday's session with a modest advance, led by strength in Biomed, Technology and Communication groups. The benchmark TA-35 index closed up 0.49% in Tel Aviv.
Among individual large-caps, Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) was the top performer on the TA-35, advancing 7.72% - a rise of 1,900.00 points - to finish at 26,500.00. Ormat Technologies (TASE:ORA) added 6.05%, gaining 1,960.00 points to close at 34,340.00, while defense and aerospace supplier Elbit Systems Ltd (TASE:ESLT) climbed 6.02% - up 13,830.00 points - to finish the session at 243,570.00.
Not all names participated in the rally. Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) led decliners on the TA-35, slipping 5.45% or 4,090.00 points to end at 70,910.00. Semiconductor equipment maker Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) retreated 3.30%, down 1,540.00 points to 45,100.00, and Nova (TASE:NVMI) fell 2.84%, losing 4,370.00 points to close at 149,300.00.
Market breadth on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange showed more stocks advancing than falling: 266 issues gained versus 197 that declined, while 93 finished unchanged.
Commodities traded with mixed results. Crude oil for August delivery was down 1.17%, a decline of 0.80, to trade at $67.78 a barrel. Brent oil for September delivery fell 0.98% or 0.70 to settle at $70.87 a barrel. Precious metals moved higher, with the August Gold Futures contract up 1.36%, a gain of 55.70, to trade at $4,138.10 a troy ounce.
Currency moves reflected modest pressure on the shekel. The USD/ILS pair rose 0.27% to 3.00, while the EUR/ILS rate increased 0.84% to 3.43. The US Dollar Index Futures was lower, down 0.59% at 100.56.
For market participants and analysts, the session illustrated a split tape where gains in selected technology, biomed and communications names helped the headline index despite weakness in some semiconductor and inspection stocks. The breadth figures signal a market with more advancing issues than decliners, yet concentration in a handful of large moves remains apparent.