Mon: Leumi fails to drag market down

Bank Leumi fell 1.9% following its profit warning, but Bank Hapoalim gained ground.

The TASE recovered from early losses to end the day with slight gains, despite mixed sessions on European markets and losses at the opening on Wall Street.

In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.733/$, up 0.27% on Friday's rate, and set the shekel-euro representative exchange rate at NIS 4.857/€, down 0.26%.

In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds were unchanged and long term Galil CPI-linked government rose by up to 0.5%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.16%

In the stock market, Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) rose 1.3% for the biggest gain on the Tel Aviv 25 Index, without any announcement.

Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) fell 1.9%, for the biggest loss among Tel Aviv 25 shares, on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 118 million, after announcing a profit warning for the fourth quarter. Bank Hapoalim (TASE: POLI) rose 1%.

Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) rose 0.9%, after publishing its financials, while Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) fell 1.3% and Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) fell 0.2%.

Elsewhere in the market, Africa-Israel Residences Ltd. (TASE:AFHS) rose 6.7% and Bayside Land Corp. Ltd.(Gav Yam) (TASE: BYSD1) rose 2.7% after they published positive financials for the fourth quarter of 2012.

Enlight Renewable Energy Solutions Ltd. (TASE:ENLT) rose 15.6%, after securing financing for a pioneering project. Capital Point Ltd. (TASE:CPTP) rose 13.3%, after portfolio company Neuroderm Ltd. announced success in a Phase I clinical trial.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 4, 2013

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