The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) fell today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index fell 0.44% to 1,216.09 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index fell 0.44% to 1,085.89 points, and the BlueTech 50 Index fell 0.65% to 310.78 points. Turnover was NIS 367 million.
The TASE fell in paltry trading today, following mixed sessions on European markets and gains on Wall Street on Friday.
In the foreign currency market, options pointed to a 0.10% gain in the shekel-dollar exchange rate, compared with Friday's representative rate, to NIS 3.727/$, but a 0.30% drop in the shekel-euro exchange rate to NIS 4.855/€.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds were unchanged and long term Galil CPI-linked government rose by up to 0.2%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.17%
In the stock market, Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) fell 2% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 38 million. Parent company Israel Corporation (TASE: ILCO) fell 2.4%.
Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) and Paz Oil Company Ltd. (TASE:PZOL) both rose 1.1% for the biggest gains among Tel Aviv 25 shares.
Technology companies pulled the market down, led by a 2.5% drop by EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: EZCH; TASE:EZCH) and 1% drop by NICE Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: NICE; TASE: NICE). Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:MLNX; TASE:MLNX) edged up 0.1%.
Tel Aviv 100-listed Allot Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq:ALLT; TASE: ALLT) fell 8.4% for the biggest loss among technology stocks.
Small-cap Shemen Oil and Gas Resources Ltd. (TASE: SMOG) rose 10.7% after the Ministry of Defense extended the company's drilling permit offshore from Ashdod by two months, and the fact that the well is due to reach the gas bearing secondary target strata at a depth of 3,500 meters within days.
Evogene Ltd. (TASE:EVGN) rose 5.1% today, after rising 8.2% on Thursday, without any announcement. Mazor Robotics Ltd. (TASE:MZOR) rose 4.1% after obtaining marketing permission for its Renaissance surgical navigation robot from the Australian authorities.
Middle East Tube Ltd. (METCO) (TASE: TUBE) rose 11.1% after reporting that it swung to a profit of NIS 26 million in 2012.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 3, 2013
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