Middle East Tensions Drive Oil Prices Up and Weaken Tel Aviv Stock Exchange

Renewed tensions in the Middle East following Iran's attack on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent U.S. strikes on multiple targets continue to impact global markets. Brent crude oil prices rose to approximately $76.5 per barrel, while WTI crude traded around $72.5 per barrel. These increases follow last month's price drop below $70 per barrel after a U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, which had also led to lower fuel prices in Israel.

In the currency market, the U.S. dollar strengthened against the Israeli shekel, trading slightly above 3.04 shekels compared to yesterday's official rate of 3.02. The euro also gained, trading near 3.48 shekels after an official rate of 3.46 the previous day. The dollar's rise is partly attributed to recent interest rate cuts in Israel.

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange opened with declines: the TA-35 index fell about 0.22%, TA-125 dropped 0.3%, and TA-90 decreased by 0.55%. Energy sector stocks showed mixed performance, with Energean's shares rising roughly 2.7%, while Delek Group's shares fell about 1.7%. These losses followed a particularly weak trading day yesterday, where the TA-35 lost around 1.9%, and both TA-125 and TA-90 declined by approximately 2%. Sector-specific indices for renewable energy and technology experienced sharp drops near 4%.