Israel's main equity gauge moved into uncharted territory at the close on Wednesday, with the TA 35 finishing up 0.02% to register a new all-time high.
The session was driven by strength in the banking, financials and insurance groups, which helped lift select large-cap names even as a larger number of listings declined on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Top and bottom performers
- Leumi (LUMI) was the session's top performer on the TA 35, rising 2.89% or 218.00 points to close at 7,752.00.
- Israel Discount Bank Ltd (DSCT) added 2.86% or 107.00 points to finish at 3,853.00.
- Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Corp Ltd (BEZQ) advanced 2.65% or 21.40 points to end the day at 830.40.
- Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TSEM) led decliners, slipping 5.60% or 2,350.00 points to close at 39,600.00.
- Newmed Energy LP (NWMDp) retreated 4.39% or 91.00 points to 1,984.00.
- Nova (NVMI) fell 4.38% or 6,130.00 points to end at 133,880.00.
Market breadth was negative: declining issues outnumbered advancers by 287 to 189, while 72 listings finished unchanged.
Notable price milestones
Shares of Israel Discount Bank Ltd (DSCT) rose to an all-time high, closing at 3,853.00 after a 2.86% gain. Bezeq (BEZQ) reached a five-year high with its 2.65% advance to 830.40.
Commodities and FX
In commodities trading, crude oil for March delivery rose 0.36% or 0.23 to trade at $63.44 a barrel. Brent oil for April delivery increased 0.48% or 0.32 to $67.65 a barrel. The April Gold Futures contract climbed 0.56% or 27.59 to trade at $4,962.59 a troy ounce.
On the currency front, USD/ILS was effectively unchanged, moving 0.13% to 3.10, while EUR/ILS was unchanged at 3.65. The U.S. Dollar Index Futures ticked up 0.21% to 97.51.
Overall, the session combined milestone highs for some major domestic names with broad-based weakness elsewhere on the exchange, leaving the headline index slightly higher at a record close.