Stock Markets May 20, 2026 10:55 AM

Tel Aviv stocks close higher as Oil & Gas and financials lead gains

TA-35 rises 1.94% with Tower Semiconductor among the top performers; oil and gold prices fall

By Leila Farooq TSEM NVMI NICE

Israel's equity market finished the session higher after the close on Wednesday, led by advances in the Oil & Gas, Banking and Financials sectors. The benchmark TA-35 gained 1.94% as a handful of large-cap names posted substantial moves in both directions. Commodities and currency markets saw declines in crude and Brent oil, a drop in gold futures, and a modest weakening of the U.S. dollar versus the shekel and euro.

Tel Aviv stocks close higher as Oil & Gas and financials lead gains
TSEM NVMI NICE

Key Points

  • The TA-35 closed up 1.94%, led by gains in the Oil & Gas, Banking and Financials sectors.
  • Top individual performers included Tower Semiconductor (TSEM) +10.75%, Nova (NVMI) +4.84%, and Mega Or (MGOR) +3.29%; laggards included Azrieli Group (AZRG) -4.39%, NICE (NICE) -3.05% and Migdal Insurance (MGDL) -2.76%.
  • Crude and Brent oil prices fell notably, gold futures declined modestly, and the USD weakened slightly versus the shekel and euro.

Israel's stock market ended the trading day on a positive note after the close on Wednesday, with sector-level strength in Oil & Gas, Banking and Financials pushing benchmarks higher.

Market performance - The TA-35 index closed up 1.94%.

Top movers - Among individual large-cap names, Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) was the session's strongest performer, rising 10.75% - a gain of 7,540.00 points to finish at 77,650.00. Nova (TASE:NVMI) added 4.84%, or 6,640.00 points, to close at 143,840.00. Mega Or (TASE:MGOR) advanced 3.29%, gaining 1,980.00 points to end the day at 62,180.00.

Lagging stocks - On the downside, Azrieli Group Ltd (TASE:AZRG) fell 4.39%, a decline of 2,060.00 points to 44,850.00 at the close. NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) slipped 3.05%, or 840.00 points, to 26,730.00. Migdal Insurance (TASE:MGDL) was down 2.76%, a drop of 54.00 points to 1,903.00.

Breadth - Advancers slightly outnumbered decliners on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, with 242 stocks rising versus 239 declining, while 70 issues finished unchanged.


Commodities and currencies

  • Crude oil for July delivery fell 3.60%, or $3.76, to $100.62 a barrel.
  • Brent oil for July delivery declined 4.46%, or $5.00, to $107.10 a barrel.
  • The June Gold Futures contract decreased 0.56%, or $25.30, to trade at $4,532.70 a troy ounce.
  • USD/ILS moved lower by 0.44% to 2.90.
  • EUR/ILS fell 0.29% to 3.37.
  • The US Dollar Index Futures was down 0.03% at 99.08.

Takeaway - The session closed with the benchmark higher, supported by gains among energy-related and financial stocks, while commodity prices and the dollar eased. Market breadth was narrowly positive, with a nearly even split between advancing and declining issues.

Disclosure - This article reports the market moves, prices and counts provided for the session. No additional analysis or external recommendations are included.

Risks

  • Falling crude and Brent oil prices may weigh on the Oil & Gas sector's near-term performance, as indicated by the session's commodity moves.
  • Exchange-rate shifts - the decline in USD/ILS and EUR/ILS points to currency volatility that can affect exporters, importers and financial flows.
  • Narrow market breadth, with advancers only marginally outnumbering decliners (242 vs 239), suggests that index gains were concentrated in a limited set of stocks rather than broad-based strength.

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