The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) was flat today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index rose 0.03% to 1,249.37 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index rose 0.06% to 1,112.58 points, but the BlueTech 50 Index fell 0.07% to 313.04 points. Turnover was NIS 1.3 billion.
In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.68/$, down 0.054% on yesterday's rate, and set the shekel-euro representative exchange rate at NIS 4.75/€, down 0.342%.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds were up 0.1% and long term Galil CPI-linked government bonds also rose by up to 0.1%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.01%.
In the stock market, real estate companies Gazit-Globe Ltd. (NYSE: GZT; TASE: GLOB) and Azrieli Group Ltd. (TASE: AZRG) rose 1.8% and 0.9% respectively after publishing positive financials. Excellence raised Azrieli's recommendation to "Buy" and Psagot described Gazit-Globe's performance as "a good quarter ending a good year."
Israel's two food giants Osem Investments Ltd. (controlled by Nestl? SA (SWX:NESN)) (TASE: OSEM) and Strauss Group Ltd. (TASE:STRS) also presented positive reports and saw their shares rise 2.3% and 1.9% respectively.
Israel Discount Bank (TASE: DSCT) fell 5% after reporting 3% lower profit, and Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (TASE:MZTF) fell 2.5% on a high trading turnover of NIS 199 million. The bank reported that Eyal Ofer sold a 2.2% stake in Mizrahi Tefahot.
Drug development company BiolineRX Ltd. (Nasdaq: BLRX); TASE:BLRX) plunged 52.2% after reporting the failure of the trial for its lead product to treat schizophrenia.
Aspen Group Ltd. (TASE:ASGR) published an offer to take control of troubled Habas HZ Investments Ltd. (TASE: HABS) and as a result Habas share rose 9.3% and its bonds enjoyed rises between 6.8% and 7.4%.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 20, 2013
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