By Sara Toth Stub

Special to DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

JERUSALEM--Shares of Israeli investment company Koor Industries Ltd. (KOR.TV) closed down sharply Thursday after Credit Suisse Group AG (CS), of which Koor owns 2.48%, was urged by the Swiss National Bank to halt dividends amid the downturn in Europe.

Koor's shares closed down 4.49 shekels, or 10.18%, at ILS40.51, in a lower Tel Aviv market. Koor has been buying and selling shares in Credit Suisse since 2009, and has owned as much as up to 4% of the large Swiss financial institution.

Since then, dividends and changes in the value of Credit Suisse shares have heavily influenced Koor's financial results.

The Swiss central bank advised Credit Suisse and other large Swiss banks Thursday to improve their capital adequacy to protect themselves against escalating risks in the European banking sector.

Write to Sara Toth Stub at Londonequ.Slot@dowjones.com