After reopening on Friday after the stock market was closed for the public holiday on Thursday, Republic Bank traded at a new 52 weeks’ low on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange on Friday and West Indian Tobacco traded back at its earlier high of $126. The market closed with 13 securities trading with 6 stocks trading higher, 3 declining and 4 remained unchanged as a total of 506,338 units traded, valued at $23,476,582.
At the close the Composite Index ending with a modest loss of 0.68 at 1,147.48, the All T&T Index fell 2.04 to 1,949.95 and the Cross Listed Index gained 0.02 points to hit 45.27.
Gains| ANSA McAL contributed 254,788 shares for a value of $17,137,041 in trading, to close 1 cent higher at $67.26, Grace Kennedy had 4,180 units changing hands at $3.64 for a 14 cents gain, Guardian Holdings with 9,724 shares valued at $287,437 changing hands closed 2 cents higher, at $13.08. Praetorian Property Mutual Fund contributed 10,500 shares with a gain of 1 cent to $3.06, Prestige Holdings with 1,500 units changing hands ended with a gain of 1 cent at $9.91 and West Indian Tobacco gained 57 cents to end at $126 while trading 1,321 units.
Losses| Clico Investment Fund closed with a loss of 1 cent as 105,171 shares valued at $2,367,355 changed hands at $22.50. National Flour Mills with a volume of 51,280 shares lost 5 cents in closing at $2 and Republic Bank suffered a loss of 90 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $112 with 2,000 shares changing hands, valued at $3,360,000.
Firm Trades| FirstCaribbean International Bank traded 2,141 shares to close at $5.02. JMMB Group added 24,463 shares at 43 cents each, Massy Holdings traded 1,010 shares at $62.50, and Trinidad Cement had 4,760 shares changing hands and ended at $3.15.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 4 stocks with the bid higher than their last selling prices and 7 stocks with offers that were lower.
Archives for September 2015
Republic’s new low WITCO back at $126
Market gains in Friday morning trading
Activity was subdued on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday morning, resulted in 
8 securities trading changing hands at 11 am with a big increase in volume of 758,247 units, with 1 stocks declining and 4 rising.
Trading activity resulted in the JSE Market Index rising 203.74 points to 96,030.99. The JSE All Jamaican Composite index rose 227.69 points to 106,276.32, the JSE combined index gaining 243.35 points to be at 99,289.24 and the junior market is up 5.71 points to 965.51.
The main trade so far are Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.75% preference share with 659,996 units at $2.50 and Lasco Manufacturing that has gained 9 cents to be trading at $2.05 with 49,956 units.
Montego Freeport to pay $1.42 per share
Montego Freeport will be paying $1.42 per share dividend as a capital distribution on October 28, the company announced recently. The dividend payment is expected to be ratified at the upcoming annual general meeting of the company to be held in Montego Bay, on October 8.
The payment will consume $826 million of the $1.1 billion in cash held at the end of March this year. After making that payment there will still be assets amounting to $600 million or just over $1 per share to be distributed which includes assets for sale amounting to $328 million.
Montego Freeport reported profit of $67 million for the 2015 year and $12 million for 2014 from operating and other income of $97 million and $61 million respectively. The company was previously listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange but a set of short sighted directors recommended liquidating the assets and closing the company which the shareholders bought into and approved.
Rising JSE stocks outpace decliners Thursday
Cable & Wireless HQ – the stock traded 10.7m units on Thursday.
The main market indices enjoyed a second day of increases with the JSE Market Index gained 89.23 points to 95,827.25, the JSE All Jamaican Composite index added 99.71 points to 106,048.63 and the JSE combined index rose 167.49 points to end at 99,045.89.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had a reading of 16 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 8 with offers that were lower.
This is an indication that while there is buying interest above current prices for a large number of stocks, there are still a noticeable number of stocks that investors want to be out of, at lower prices, than the last selling price.
Stocks that particularly weak are Hardware and Lumber with a last sale of $13 now being offered at $11.50. Grace Kennedy reported earlier in the year that they were considering an offer for this subsidiary at a maximum price of $18.50 and that the deal should be closed by the end of July. To date there has been no further information on the buy out offer, even as the July deadline is long past. Sterling Investments with a last sale of $13.40, now have on offer at $13.15, 242,600 units and no bids to buy.
Trading in the main market ended with Berger Paints trading 20,000 shares at $2.28, Cable and Wireless slipped 1 cent with 10,774,000 shares changing hands, to close at 49 cents. At the close the stock had 1,122,637 units on the bid at 48 cents and 172,996 units on offer at 51 cents. Carreras traded 224,067 shares at $49.50 while gaining 50 cents, Ciboney Group with 4,365,250 shares at 9 cents, Desnoes & Geddes ended with 135,000 shares trading with a 35 cents gain to close at $6.50, Jamaica Broilers had 35,930 units trading at $6.09, JMMB Group traded at $7.63 with 10,984 shares changing ownership.
Mayberry Investments had 160,100 shares trading at $2.80, National Commercial Bank had 81,100 units changing hands and ended at $27.76 while losing just 1 cent, Sagicor Group with 80,000 shares trading, closed 1 cent higher at $12.82, Scotia Group traded 52,000 shares to close with a rise of 2 cents to $23.77. Scotia Investments traded 10,110 shares in closing at $24.53 with a gain of 1 cent, Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share 313,046 units at $2 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.75% preference share 1,841,065 units at $2.50 fo a rise of 1 cent.
Juniors close Thursday on strong note
Lasco Distributors” hot new “I Cool” drink could help light up the stock on Friday.
The market ended with 3 securities with no bids to buy, while 8 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 8 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 4 closed with lower offers.
In trading, AMG Packaging closed at $3.60 as 36,280 units changed hands, C2W Music had 3,700 units changing hands unchanged at 39 cents, Honey Bun had 2,054 shares trading with a fall of 2 cents to close at $4.28, Lasco Financial with 3,250 shares changing hands rose 6 cents to end at $1.61. Lasco Manufacturing with 15,000 shares trading closed at $1.96 and Eppley cumulative preference share 2019, ended with 31,700 units changing hands at $6.01.
A number of IC Insider BUY RATED stocks are in demand and seems poised to rise these include, Caribbean Cream did not trade but ended with bids in to buy 588,536 shares at $1.68 and
support down to $1.65 with 215,000 shares and with offers for 20,000 units at $2 and between $2.05 and $3 a total of 186,000 shares. Lasco Distributors closed with the offer at $1.98 to buy 12,000 shares by Mayberry Investments for a client, more than the last selling price of $1.84, below that offer, is one for only 4,500 units at $1.90 and 250,000 units at $1.86. There are 4 offers, ranging between $2.03 and $2.05 for a total of 503,000 shares. Lasco Manufacturing has a bid at $2 for a small amount and 321,191 at $1.90, there are 5 offers ranging from $2.05 with 752,000 units and 34,000 units at $2.05 and 17,200 shares at $2.80.
Only 2 cents away on Thursday from J$119
The Jamaican dollar at the end of trading on Thursday declined further against the US dollar to be just 2 cents away from J$119 to 1. Trading ended with the equivalent of US$53,172,006 bought by dealers, compared with US$29,454,444 on Wednesday, while they sold the equivalent of US$58,244,225, versus US$38,709,609 previously.
In US dollar trading , dealers bought US$50,560,723 compared to US$27,318,495 on Wednesday. The buying rate for the US dollar rose 34 cents to $118.65 and US$56,905,545 was sold versus US$37,086,688 on Wednesday, the selling rate rose 2 cents to close at $118.98. The Canadian dollar buying rate fell 26 cents to $86.76, with dealers buying C$925,551 and selling C$857,418, at an average rate that lost 40 cents to $89.15. 
The rate for buying the British Pound rose 40 cents to $179.09 for the purchase of £1,110,369, while £345,791 was sold, at an average rate that dropped 67 cents to end at $180.76. At the end of trading, it took J$132.58 to purchase the Euro, with a rise of 28 cents on Wednesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$129.88, for a rise of 40 cents from Wednesday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$258,627 being bought, while US$170,855 was sold.
Highs & Lows| The highest buying rate for the US dollar on Thursday, the lowest buying and the highest selling rates remained at $120.50, $97.28 and $124.66 respectively while the lowest selling rate dived $16.11 to $99.19.
The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar declined $1.50 to $89, the lowest buying rate remained at $71.46, the highest selling rate declined 73 cents to end at $91.40 and the lowest selling rate slipped 50 cents to $85. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, dropped $2.62 to $181.38, the lowest buying rate dropped $1.66 to $145.58, the highest selling rate dived $4.02 to $185.80 and the lowest selling rate dropped 10 cents to $175.40.
Juniors up majors down Thursday trading
Activity fell on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Thursday morning, resulted in 19 securities trading changing hands at 11amwith a big increase in volume of 17,,066,415 units, with 3 stocks declining and 9 rising.
Trading activity resulted in declines to the indices with the JSE Market Index falling 206.11 points to 95,531.91. The JSE All Jamaican Composite index down 230.35 points to 105,718.57 and the JSE combined index slipped 108.03 points to be at 98,770.37 and the junior market is up 9.69 points to 960.17.
The main trades are Cable & Wireless with 10,774,000 units at 49 cents, Ciboney Group with 4,365,250 shares at 9 cents, National Commercial Bank traded 80,100 at $27.56, Scotia Group with 52,000 shares at $23.77, Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share 313,046 units at $2 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.75% preference share 1,341,065 units at $2.50.
J$ racing lower vs US on Wednesday
The Jamaican dollar declined further against the US on Wednesday as trading ended with the equivalent of US$29,454,444 bought by dealers, compared with US$28,126,519 on Tuesday, while they sold the equivalent of US$38,709,609, versus US$27,742,141 previously.
In US dollar trading , dealers bought US$27,318,495 compared to US$24,426,414 on Tuesday. The buying rate for the US dollar rose 25 cents to $118.31 and US$37,086,688 was sold versus US$26,566,997 on Tuesday, the selling rate rose 14 cents to close at $118.96. The Canadian dollar buying rate rose 38 cents to $87.01, with dealers buying C$987,645 and selling C$854,933, at an average rate that added 75 cents to $89.55. 
The rate for buying the British Pound fell $2.36 to $178.69 for the purchase of £882,108, while £446,384 was sold, at an average rate that dropped $1.28 to end at $181.43. At the end of trading, it took J$132.29 to purchase the Euro, with a fall by 72 cents on Tuesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$129.48, for a decline of 70 cents from Tuesday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$77,228 being bought, while US$298,488 was sold.
Highs & Lows| The highest buying rate for the US dollar jumped $1.42 cents to $120.50 on Wednesday. The lowest buying rate and the highest selling rate remained at $97.28 and $124.66 respectively and the lowest selling rate jumped $18.02 to $115.30. 
The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar jumped $1.30 to $90.50, the lowest buying rate rose 8 cents to end at $71.46, the highest selling rate declined 96 cents to end at $92.13 and the lowest selling rate remained unchanged at $85.50. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, gained 80 cents to $184, the lowest buying rate slipped 92 cents to $147.24, the highest selling rate climbed $1.66 to $189.82 and the lowest selling rate dropped $2 to $175.50.
8 up 8 down on JSE on Wednesday
On Wednesday the Jamaica Stock Exchange saw more activity than on Tuesday but the market still seems to be nervous with a high level of stocks riding and declining on the same day. At the close there were 8 stocks rising to 8 that declined.
The market closed with 26 securities changing hands totalling 4,027,018 units, valued at $45,899,661 traded in all market segments.
The JSE Market Index gained 148.80 points to 95,738.02, the JSE All Jamaican Composite index added 166.30 points to 105,948.92 and the JSE combined index rose 141.78 points to end at 98,878.40.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had a reading of 14 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with offers that were lower.
Trading in the main market ended with Cable and Wireless slipped 1 cent with 885,401 shares changing hands, to close at 49 cents. At the close the stock had 1,122,637 units on the bid at 48 cents and 300,000 on offer at 52 cents. Caribbean Cement traded 200,000 shares at $8 while gaining 30 cents, Desnoes & Geddes ended with 128,250 shares trading with a 5 cents gain to close at $6.15, JMMB Group traded at $7.63 with 10,345 shares changing ownership. 
National Commercial Bank had 35,609 units changing hands and ended at $27.47 while losing just 1 cent, Pan Jamaican Investment traded 8,052 shares to close at $61.71. Sagicor Group with 175,880 shares trading, closed 19 cents lower at $12.81, Scotia Group traded 1,496,663 shares to close with a loss of 16 cents at $23.75, Scotia Investments traded 16,267 shares in closing at $24.52 with a gain of 2 cents. Supreme Ventures had 41,160 shares changing hands at $3.75, for a gain of 35 cents Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.75% preference share traded 231,855 shares at a 52 weeks low of $2.49 after losing 16 cents and Proven Investments preference share traded 59,200 units at $5.
2 junior stocks up 3 down on Wednesday
The junior market ended on Wednesday with the index rising marginally by 0.15 points to close at 950.48. A total of 2 stocks advanced, 3 declined with of 6 securities trading. The market ended with 687,049 units, valued at $1,432,957 changing hands.
The market ended with 3 securities with no bids to buy, while 8 had no stocks being offered 
for sale. A total of 8 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and 3 closed with lower offers.
In trading, AMG Packaging closed with a loss of 5 cents at $3.60 as 1,300 units changed hands, Caribbean Flavours ended with 9,481 shares changing hands at $2.70, Caribbean Producers traded 368,558 units to close with a loss of 5 cents at $2.30. Honey Bun had 10,710 shares trading with an increase of 2 cents to close at a new 52 weeks’ high of $4.30, Knutsford Express traded 6,000 shares to close at $6 after falling by 10 cents and Lasco Financial with 290,000 shares changing hands rose 6 cents to end at $1.61.
