The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) was flat today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index edged up 0.02% to 1,138.33 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index rose 0.14% to 1,016.87 points, and the BlueTech 50 Index rose 1.13% to 340.42 points. Turnover was NIS 697.7 million.
A late rally pushed the leading TASE indices back to their starting levels today, despite losses on European markets and a mixed opening on Wall Street. The technology, biomed and real estate indices gained ground. The Tel Aviv 25 Index rose 0.5% for the two-day week, due to the Rosh Hashana holiday.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds rose by up to 0.3% and long-term Galil CPI-linked government bonds rose by up to 0.4%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index fell 0.18%.
In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.92/$, up 0.26% on yesterday's rate, and set the shekel-euro representative exchange rate at NIS 5.073/€, down 0.25%.
In the stock market, Azrieli Group Ltd. (TASE: AZRG) rose 3.9% for the biggest gain among Tel Aviv 25 shares, and its real estate peer on the index, Gazit-Globe Ltd. (NYSE: GZT; TASE: GLOB), rose 2.7%, after its Canadian subsidiary First Capital Realty Inc. (TSX:FCR) raised a gross C$240 million in a secondary offering.
NICE Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: NICE; TASE: NICE) rose 3.8%, Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:MLNX; TASE:MLNX) rose 2%, and EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: EZCH; TASE:EZCH) rose 1.1%
Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) rose another 2.8% on top of yesterday's 5.9% gain, despite cancelling its dividends policy for 2012. Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) rose 2.4%, Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) rose 2.6%, and HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (TASE: HOT), listed on the Tel Aviv 100 Index, rose 0.4%. Barclays Capital today upgraded its recommendation for Cellcom, downgraded its recommendation for HOT, and reiterated its recommendations for Partner and Bezeq.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) fell 0.8% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 38 million, while Perrigo Company (Nasdaq:PRGO; TASE:PRGO) rose 0.3%.
Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) fell 3% for the biggest loss among Tel Aviv 25 shares.
Elsewhere in the market, IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. (TASE:IDBH) fell 6%, after a lawsuit was filed against the company. Subsidiary Discount Investment Corporation (TASE: DISI) fell 5.6% and its bonds fell by up 8.2%. The bonds of IDB Development Corporation fell by up to 15.7%, after Maalot downgraded the two companies' bonds.
Spacecom Satellite Communications Ltd. (TASE:SCC) rose 7.4%, without any announcement, Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR) corrected upwards by 4.4% after falling 15.9% yesterday.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 20, 2012
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