The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) fell today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index fell 0.26% to 1,226.23 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index fell 0.13% to 1,087.15 points, but the BlueTech 50 Index rose 1.05% to 347.46 points. Turnover was NIS 889.6 million.
The leading TASE indices fell today, in line with a mixed session on European markets and despite futures which pointed to gains at the opening on Wall Street. The Tel Aviv 25 Index 3.1% in the short week. The TASE closed at 2:45 pm during the Sukkot holiday and it will be closed on Sunday and Monday for the Simhat Torah holiday, reopening on Tuesday.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds fell by up to 0.4% and long-term Galil CPI-linked government bonds fell by up to 0.2%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index fell 0.15%.
In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.879/$, down 0.19% on yesterday's rate, and set the shekel-euro representative exchange rate at NIS 5.019/€, unchanged from yesterday.
In the stock market, the Banking Index fell 2.2%, led by a 3.6% drop by Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (TASE:MZTF), a 3.3% drop by Israel Discount Bank (TASE: DSCT) and 3% drop by Bank Hapoalim (TASE: POLI), for the biggest losses among Tel Aviv 25 shares. The banks have asked the Bank of Israel to soften its decisions on fees on small businesses to reduce the blow to the banks' revenue.
High-tech shares had the biggest gains among Tel Aviv 25 shares, led by a 3.9% gain by Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:MLNX; TASE:MLNX) and 3.4% gain by EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: EZCH; TASE:EZCH).
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) fell 1.6%, after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered it to pull its generic version of an antidepressant. Strauss Group Ltd. (TASE:STRS) fell 0.6%, after announcing a NIS 140 million dividend. Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) rose 1% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 92.3 million.
Oil and gas exploration companies continued to rise led by Leviathan partner Ratio Oil Exploration (1992) LP (TASE:RATI.L), with a gain of 3.8% and Tamar partner Isramco Ltd. (Nasdaq: ISRL; TASE: ISRA.L) with a gain of 1.4%. Their partner Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) rose another 1.6%.
Insurance companies, listed on the Tel Aviv 100 Index, also fell, led by a 2.4% drop by Harel Insurance Investments and Financial Services Ltd. (TASE: HARL) and 1.9% drop by Migdal Insurance and Financial Holdings Ltd. (TASE: MGDL).
IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. (TASE:IDBH) unit Discount Investment Corporation (TASE: DISI) fell 5.3%, after initially rising by a similar amount.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 4, 2012
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