Israel's stock market ended higher on Monday, with gains concentrated in Insurance, Financials and Banking names helping push the benchmark to a fresh record. At the close in Tel Aviv, the TA 35 rose 1.79% to register an all-time high.
Among the index constituents, NICE Ltd (TASE:NICE) delivered the session's largest advance, jumping 21.30% - an increase of 6,540.00 points - to finish at 37,250.00. Financial groups also contributed to the rally: Harel (TASE:HARL) climbed 6.00% or 1,120.00 points to close at 19,800.00, while Shapir Engineering Industry (TASE:SPEN) advanced 5.13% or 217.00 points to end at 4,450.00.
Not every stock participated in the upward move. Newmed Energy LP (TASE:NWMDp) was the weakest performer on the session, sliding 5.06% or 96.00 points to 1,800.00 at the close. Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) fell 2.59% or 1,670.00 points to conclude at 62,900.00, and Amot Investments Ltd (TASE:AMOT) declined 2.04% or 41.00 points to 1,973.00.
Market breadth was narrowly tilted toward gainers: 250 stocks rose, 236 fell and 65 finished unchanged on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
Two index members posted all-time highs during the session. Harel rose to a record closing level, finishing up 6.00% at 19,800.00, and Shapir Engineering Industry also reached a new peak, closing up 5.13% at 4,450.00.
Commodities closed mixed as global commodity prices showed divergent moves. Crude oil for June delivery increased 0.63% - rising by 0.64 to $102.58 a barrel. Brent oil for July delivery climbed 3.01% or 3.26 to $111.43 a barrel. In contrast, the June Gold Futures contract retreated 1.34% or 62.19 to trade at $4,582.31 a troy ounce.
Currency and dollar indicators posted small moves. USD/ILS was essentially unchanged, moving 0.11% to 2.94, while EUR/ILS registered a 0.01% change to 3.44. The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.18% at 98.18.
In summary, the Tel Aviv market closed higher with the TA 35 at a record high, driven by sizable gains in select insurance and financial names and supported by positive breadth. At the same time, notable declines among energy and semiconductor-related issues tempered the session's advance. Commodity prices were mixed and major currency pairs showed little net change.