The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) rose today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index rose 1.11% to 1,229.82 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index rose 0.88% to 1,088.54 points, and the BlueTech 50 Index rose 0.70% to 343.85 points. Turnover was NIS 1.22 billion.
The TASE again rose strongly today, in line with gains on European markets, and futures on the opening on Wall Street. The TASE closed at 2:45 pm today for the Sukkot holiday week. The Tel Aviv 25 Index is up 18% from its low point in June.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked government bonds rose by up to 0.1%, and long-term Galil CPI-linked government bonds rose by up to 0.3%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.24%.
In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.884/$, down 0.13% on yesterday's rate, and set the shekel-euro representative exchange rate at NIS 5.0518/€, down 0.08%.
In the stock market, the banks again drove the market higher, with the Banking Index up another 2.3% on top of yesterday's 4.9% gain. Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) rose 3.6%, and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (TASE:MZTF) rose 2.4%.
Oil and gas exploration companies also continued to gain ground, led by Tamar partners Isramco Ltd. (Nasdaq: ISRL; TASE: ISRA.L), which rose 4.2%, and Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) units Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) and Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L), both of which rose by 0.9%, after they announced that the Tamar production platform was en route from Texas to Israel. Delek Group rose another 4.1%.
Azrieli Group Ltd. (TASE: AZRG) rose 5.4% for the biggest gain among Tel Aviv 25 shares, and its real estate peer, Gazit-Globe Ltd. (NYSE: GZT; TASE: GLOB), rose 0.6%. Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT) fell 2.5% for the biggest loss among Tel Aviv 25 shares.
Telcos were big losers, led by a 2% drop by Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR), while Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) fell 1.4% and Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) fell 0.5%, even though UBS reiterated its "Buy" recommendations and target prices for them.
Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) fell 1.2% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 138 million.
On the Tel Aviv 100 Index, Prolor Biotech Inc. (AMEX: PBTH; TASE: PBTH) rose 7.1%, after announced that it received notice of allowance from the US Patent and Trademark Office for a new patent application covering the company's long-acting CTP-enhanced human growth hormone. HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (TASE: HOT) fell 1.7%, a day after its controlling shareholder raised his offer to purchase for the company.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 3, 2012
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