Israel's equity market closed lower on Wednesday, with sector-level weakness in Communication, Insurance and Oil & Gas contributing to a decline in the benchmark TA 35 index.
At the close of trading in Tel Aviv the TA 35 was down 0.84%.
Among constituents, Tower Semiconductor Ltd (TASE:TSEM) led gains on the TA 35, jumping 15.07% - an increase of 9,720.00 points - to finish at 74,200.00. The stock closed at a five-year high. ICL Israel Chemicals Ltd (TASE:ICL) added 8.66% or 160.00 points to end the session at 2,008.00, and Ormat Technologies (TASE:ORA) rose 6.64% or 2,410.00 points to close at 38,700.00.
On the downside, Camtek Ltd (TASE:CAMT) fell 8.11%, a decline of 4,290.00 points, finishing at 48,600.00. Next Vision Stabilized Systems (TASE:NXSN) dropped 7.39% or 2,290.00 points to end at 28,710.00, while Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd (TASE:CLIS) was down 5.81% or 1,720.00 points to close at 27,900.00.
Market breadth was negative, with falling issues outnumbering gainers by 376 to 112; 63 stocks finished unchanged on the day.
Commodities and FX
In commodity markets crude oil for June delivery rose 0.62% or 0.63 to trade at $102.81 a barrel, while Brent oil for July delivery slipped 0.36% or 0.39 to $107.38 a barrel. The June Gold Futures contract was essentially flat, up 0.02% or 0.97 to $4,687.67 a troy ounce.
On currency markets, USD/ILS was unchanged at 2.91, EUR/ILS fell 0.34% to 3.41. The US Dollar Index Futures was trading higher by 0.24% at 98.42.
Market context
The session mixed a strong performance from select mid- and large-cap names, notably in semiconductors and industrial technology, against broader weakness concentrated in communication services, insurance and energy-linked stocks. Volume and breadth figures underline the uneven nature of the day’s trade, with a substantial number of decliners relative to advancers.