Weekly Review: 30 June - 4 July 2013

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30 June - 4 July 2013
 
 
Trading on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) during the first week of July was ended up for most stock indices.
The trading of weekly options on the TA-25 index begins.
 
 
 
TA-25
The TA-25 index increased 0.5% over the week, bringing year-to-date increase to 0.8%.
TA-100
The TA-100 index increased 0.6% over the week, bringing year-to-date increase to 2.5%.
TA- Com
The TA-Com index of communications companies stood out and increased 2.5% over the week and bringing returns since the beginning of 2013 to 13.2%.
 
 
 
 
Government Bonds
This week the Ministry of Finance (MoF) floated US $0.4 billion government bonds in an offering on the local market. 
Since the beginning of 2013 the MoF raised US $9.8 billion in public bond offerings as opposed to US $21.3 billion in 2012.
Weekly Options and Futures on TA-25 Index
The trading of weekly options and futures on the TA-25 index was launched on July 3rd. The terms of the new weekly options are similar to those governing existing monthly options.
Foreign Investors
The Bank of Israel released figures this week indicating that foreign investors acquired a net US $175 million TASE-traded shares in May and a total net US $830 million since the beginning of 2013. In 2012 foreign investors acquired a net US $410 million shares.
At the same time, foreign investors liquidated government bond holdings equaling US $220 million in May, bringing the net year-to-day investment in government bonds by foreign investors to US $400 million.
Employment
The Central Bureau of Statistics released figures indicating the unemployment rate in May, as in April, came to 6.9%, as opposed to 6.5% in the first quarter of 2013.
 
 
Sector Indices
 
WEEK
YTD
TA Bluetech-50
  0.8%
 -3.3%
TA Banks
  -0.4%
 -1.7%  
TA Real Estate-15
   1.0%
 14.4%
 
Foreign Exchange
 
WEEK
YTD
Dollar/NIS
0.4%
-2.7%
Euro/NIS
0.1%
-4.0%
 
 
 
 
 
 
Facts & Figures
The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange features in June 2013:
·   521 companies listing equities (Ex. ETNs).
·   462 index-tracking products.
·   34 series of government bonds.
·   79 Series of Institutional bonds.
·   639 series of corporate bonds.
·   1,252 mutual funds.
·   Market Cap. (US$ billions)
o    Equities - 172
o    Government bonds – 129
o    Corporate bonds - 103
About TASE
Established in September 1935, the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange is Israel’s sole securities exchange, offering an increasingly sophisticated range of products to investors, including equity, corporate bonds, treasury bills and notes, index products and derivatives.
International
In recent years, TASE has enhanced its international presence, signing Memoranda of Understanding with the London Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, NYSE-Euronext the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and Toronto Stock Exchange.