The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) fell today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index fell 0.28% to 1,243.95 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index fell 0.42% to 1,107.23 points, and the BlueTech 50 Index fell 1.26% to 305.09 points. Turnover was NIS 726.9 million.
The TASE fell again today, after initial gains, in line with losses on European markets and at the opening on Wall Street. The TASE closed early today, and will close early tomorrow, for the Passover holiday.
In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.637, down 0.79% on Friday's rate, and set the shekel-euro exchange rate at NIS 4.665/€, down 1.64%.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds rose by to 0.1% and long term Galil CPI-linked government ranged between losses of 0.1% and gains of 0.1%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.16%.
In the stock market, Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) and Delek Drilling LP (TASE: DEDR.L) rose 1.2% and 1.3%, respectively, on reports that gas flow from the Tamar gas field will begin on Sunday. Their parent company Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) rose 2.1%, for the biggest gain among Tel Aviv 25 shares. Their partner, Isramco Ltd. (Nasdaq: ISRL; TASE: ISRA.L) rose 0.8%.
Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) rose 1.1% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 100.8 million.
High-tech shares were the biggest losers today, led by a 2.3% drop by EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: EZCH; TASE:EZCH) and 2% drop by NICE Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: NICE; TASE: NICE). Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:MLNX; TASE:MLNX) fell 1.1%.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) fell 1.5%, but Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) rose 0.4%.
Elsewhere in the market, Ashdar Building Co. Ltd. (TASE:ASDR) rose 12%, after reporting a NIS 43 million profit in 2012, compared with a loss of NIS 15 million in 2011. Africa-Israel Investments Ltd. (TASE:AFIL) fell 1.7%, after swinging to a loss in 2012.
IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. (TASE:IDBH) fell 2.9%, after publishing its financials on Sunday, in which it reported a net loss of NIS 960 million in 2012.
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: TSEM; TASE: TSEM) rose 4.7%, after announcing that Israel Corporation (TASE: ILCO) will convert its 13.7 million capital notes in the company into equity, and that it has no plans to sell any part of its 39% stake in the company. Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd. (TASE:RMLI) rose 0.8%, after announcing that Michael Dell had become a party at interest in the company.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 27, 2013
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