The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) rose today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index rose 0.57% to 1,111.47 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index rose 0.37% to 1,014.01 points, but the BlueTech 50 Index fell 0.65% to 296.72 points. Turnover was NIS 662.9 billion.
The two leading TASE indices rose today in thin trading, after gains on European markets and a mixed session on Wall Street on Friday. Sector indices were mixed, with technology and the biomed indices falling, but gains by the oil and gas, real estate, and banking indices.
The TASE reported that the aggregate market cap of all public companies was NIS 600 billion at the end of 2011, 26% less than a year earlier. The aggregate market cap of the Tel Aviv 25 companies was NIS 414 billion at the end of 2011, 69% of the total.
In the bond market, both long-term Shahar unlinked government bonds rose by to 0.1%, and long-term Galil CPI-linked bonds ranged between loses of 0.1% and gains of 0.2%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.05%.
In the foreign currency market, options pointed to a 0.63% drop in the shekel-dollar exchange rate, compared with Friday's representative rate, to NIS 3.729$, and a 0.27% drop in the shekel-euro exchange rate to NIS 4.911/€.
In the stock market, Strauss Group Ltd. (TASE:STRS) fell 3.5% for the biggest loss among Tel Aviv 25 shares, on threats of a new consumer boycott. Its peer on the index, Osem Investments Ltd. (TASE: OSEM), fell 0.3%.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) fell 1.8%.
Avner Oil and Gas LP (TASE: AVNR.L) rose 2.7%, for the biggest gain among Tel Aviv 25 shares, and sister oil and gas exploration company rose 2.1%. Their parent company, Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG), rose 0.9%.
Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) rose 2.3% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 65 million, and parent company Israel Corporation (TASE: ILCO), rose 2.4%.
Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) rose 0.3% to NIS 31.26, despite more target price cuts by analysts. Today, Harel Finance cut its target price for the share to NIS 34 from NIS 38, while reiterating its "Market perform" recommendation. Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) rose 1.5%, HOT Telecommunication Systems Ltd. (TASE: HOT) rose 1.8%, but Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) fell 0.8%. The Telecom Index rose 0.1%.
Elsewhere in the market, Protalix Biotherapeutics Inc. (AMEX:PLX; TASE: PLX) fell a further 8.2%, after announcing a secondary offering on Thursday. Biocell Ltd. (TASE: BCEL), which owns 17% of the company, fell 6.5%. Brainsway Ltd. (TASE:BRIN) rose 4.7%, after announcing positive test results.
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: TSEM; TASE: TSEM) fell 4.3%, correcting downward from last week's 13.5% gain.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 19, 2012
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