The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) fell today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index fell 0.69% to 1,196.34 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index fell 0.58% to 1,063.98 points, but the BlueTech 50 Index fell 1.47% to 310.22 points. Turnover was NIS 2.24 billion.
The TASE fell today, despite gains on European markets and a mixed opening on Wall Street. Tel Aviv 25 options for January expired today with a drop of 0.6%. The Tel Aviv 25 Index fell 0.9% for the week.
In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.719/$, down 0.08% on yesterday's rate, and set the shekel-euro representative exchange rate at NIS 4.921/€, up 0.05%.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds were unchanged and long-term Galil CPI-linked government bonds rose by up to 0.2%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.15%.
In the stock market, the 14% plunge by Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:MLNX; TASE:MLNX), after it published a very disappointing guidance for the first quarter, pulled the TASE down. UBS and Barclays Capital both cut their target prices for the share, although they reiterated their buy recommendations.
Israel Corporation (TASE: ILCO) and subsidiary Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) fell 3% and 2%, respectively, as they corrected downward from yesterday's strong gains. Israel Chemicals had the day's biggest turnover, at NIS 245 million.
Food companies Osem Investments Ltd. (TASE: OSEM) and Strauss Group Ltd. (TASE:STRS) led the gains on the Tel Aviv 25 Index, rising 2.5% and 1.9%, respectively. Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT) also rose 1.9%.
Israel Discount Bank (TASE: DSCT) rose 1.6% and Bank Hapoalim (TASE: POLI) rose 0.9%, but Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) fell 0.1%.
On the Tel Aviv 100 Index, Ormat Industries Ltd. (TASE: ORMT) corrected upwards 7%, after yesterday's 6.2% drop.
Among the life sciences companies, Kamada Ltd. (TASE: KMDA) fell 6.4%, after updating its draft prospectus for a Nasdaq offering, Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR) fell 4.7%, and small-cap InsuLine Medical Ltd. (TASE: INSL) fell 6.3%.
Silicom Ltd. (Nasdaq:SILC; TASE:SILC) jumped 20.5% on a large arbitrage gap, after publishing strong financials for the fourth quarter and full year of 2012.
Modiin Energy LP (TASE:MDIN.L) corrected downward 21.1% on yesterday's 22.6% jump.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 24, 2013
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