Israel's stock market registered declines at Wednesday's close in Tel Aviv, driven by weakness in Real Estate, Insurance and Financials names. The TA-35 finished the session down 1.81%.
At the index level, the TA-35 closed lower by 1.81%. Decliners outnumbered advancers on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange by a margin of 376 to 97, while 85 stocks ended unchanged.
Among individual performers, Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) posted the largest gain on the TA-35, rising 6.14% - an increase of 3,440.00 points - to finish at 59,440.00. Nova (TASE:NVMI) also advanced, adding 5.54% or 5,470.00 points to close at 104,160.00. Ormat Technologies Inc (TASE:ORA) climbed 4.80%, an increase of 1,310.00 points, to end the session at 28,600.00.
Not all names participated in the rally. Newmed Energy LP (TASE:NWMDp) was the weakest on the day, falling 6.24% - a decline of 107.00 points - to trade at 1,608.00 at the close. Migdal Insurance and Financial Holdings Ltd (TASE:MGDL) declined 6.15% or 125.00 points to finish at 1,906.00. Shapir Engineering and Industry Ltd (TASE:SPEN) fell 5.99%, down 257.00 points, to close at 4,033.00.
Commodities showed notable movement during the session. Crude oil for December delivery rose 3.42% - an increase of 3.42 - to $103.32 a barrel. Brent crude for January delivery increased 2.76% or 3.02 to $112.43 a barrel. In contrast, the December Gold Futures contract declined 0.49% or 20.15 to trade at $4,054.45 a troy ounce.
Currency pairs involving the Israeli shekel also moved higher. USD/ILS rose 2.38% to 3.13, while EUR/ILS increased 2.48% to 3.48. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.03% at 102.19.
Overall, the trading day was characterized by a broad tilt toward falling stocks, with Real Estate, Insurance and Financials among the sectors most closely associated with the downbeat session. Despite the market-wide contraction, several mid- and large-cap names posted double-digit point gains, illustrating selective strength amid the broader weakness.