The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) fell today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index dipped 0.03% to 1,203.32 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index fell 0.11% to 1,074.11 points, and the BlueTech 50 Index fell 0.76% to 297.85 points. Turnover was NIS 692.1 million.
The TASE edged down today, despite a mixed session on European markets and gains on Wall Street on Friday.
In the foreign currency market, options pointed to a 0.15% drop in the shekel-dollar exchange rate, compared with Friday's representative rate, to NIS 3.623/$, and to a 0.19% drop in the shekel-euro exchange rate to NIS 4.733/€.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds rose by up to 0.1% and long term Galil CPI-linked government bonds ranged between losses of 0.2% and gains of 0.2%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.11%.
In the stock market, mobile carriers Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) and Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) both rose 2.7% for the biggest gain among Tel Aviv 25 shares. Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) was flat at NIS 5.41, after Psagot Investment House Ltd. reiterated its "Sell" recommendation for the share, but raised its target from NIS 4 to NIS 4.60. It said, "Unless there is progress in the talks on the opening of the wholesale market within the coming months, we will reconsider our recommendation for the share and the derived target price."
Israel Chemicals Ltd. (TASE: ICL) rose 1.5% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 57.8 million.
EZchip Semiconductor Ltd. (Nasdaq: EZCH; TASE:EZCH) fell 2.3% for the biggest loss among Tel Aviv 25 shares, while NICE Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: NICE; TASE: NICE) fell 1.3% and Mellanox Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq:MLNX; TASE:MLNX) dipped 0.1%.
Elsewhere in the market, El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) fell 8.5% as a strike grounded the airline in response to the cabinet's approval of the open skies agreement with the EU.
IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. (TASE:IDBH) fell 8.6% and its bonds and those of subsidiary IDB Development Corporation fell by up to 10.1%, after the latter's bondholders petitioned the court to impose a debt settlement and Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) withdrew a debt settlement proposal with Ganden Investments Ltd., through which Nochi Dankner controls IDB Holding. Bank Leumi fell 1.3%.
Delek Israel Fuel Corporation Ltd. (TASE: DLKIS) rose 9.5% after parent company Delek Group Ltd. (TASE: DLEKG) upped its offer to purchase the company. Delek Group fell 0.9%.
Elbit Imaging Ltd. (Nasdaq: EMITF; TASE: EMIT) rose 14.1% on reports of a possible debt settlement.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on April 21, 2013
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