Israel's stock market finished modestly higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark TA 35 closing up 0.16% as gains in Biomed, Insurance and Real Estate stocks helped offset weakness elsewhere.
At the end of trading in Tel Aviv, the TA 35 recorded a small advance of 0.16% for the session.
Top performers among the TA 35 constituents included Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd (TASE:ENLT), which led gains after climbing 5.51% - an increase of 1,430.00 points to finish at 27,370.00. Menora Miv Hld (TASE:MMHD) also rose strongly, adding 4.62% or 2,000.00 points to close at 45,300.00. Mega Or (TASE:MGOR) was up 4.60% with a 2,610.00-point lift to end the day at 59,360.00.
On the downside, Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) was the session's weakest performer, sliding 7.74% or 4,110.00 points to 48,960.00 at the close. Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) declined 5.22%, a drop of 4,530.00 points to finish at 82,180.00, and Nova (TASE:NVMI) fell 4.00% or 6,510.00 points to end at 156,340.00.
Market breadth in Tel Aviv favored advancers: 278 stocks gained versus 194 that fell, while 85 issues finished unchanged.
Commodities and currency moves
Commodities traded lower on the session. Crude oil for August delivery fell 4.49%, a decline of 3.29, to $69.92 per barrel. Brent oil for September delivery dropped 4.13% or 3.17 to $73.63 per barrel. Precious metals also retreated, with the August Gold Futures contract down 3.04% or 126.13 to trade at $4,023.27 per troy ounce.
In foreign exchange markets, the Israeli shekel strengthened against the dollar and euro. The USD/ILS rate was down 0.18% at 2.99, while EUR/ILS fell 0.55% to 3.39. The US Dollar Index Futures was higher by 0.30%, trading at 101.47.
Implications and context
The session showed selective strength among certain domestic sectors - notably Biomed, Insurance and Real Estate - while several technology and industrial names experienced notable declines. Commodity price moves and currency shifts were prominent features of the trading day and may have contributed to sector-level performance differences.
Overall, the market closed with a modest gain on a day of mixed cross-market signals.