Israel Stocks Hit Record High

Israel’s main stock index, the TA-125, surged nearly 6% on Monday to a record high near 16,160, after the US and Israel carried out strikes on Iran over the weekend, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran against regional targets. While the escalation increased geopolitical uncertainty, investors appeared to interpret the developments as potentially leading to a significant reduction in the Iranian threat to Israel, boosting domestic equities. Defense stocks led the gains, with Elbit Systems rising 3.4%. Energy shares also advanced amid elevated oil prices, including NewMed Energy, which climbed 6.4%. The TA-125 has rallied roughly 48% since June last year, when Israel first launched attacks on Iran.