The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, suffered a big fall, as the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 3,740.95 points to 404,701.04 and the JSE Index dived 3,408.43 points to close at 368,728.41 as several securities traded in unusually large volume.
Trading ended with 21,522,449 units valued at $497,625,550 compared to 2,910,367 units valued at $151,839,351 changing hands on Friday.
Carreras led trading for the second consecutive day with 6,065,330 units in accounting for 28 percent of the day’s volume, followed by Jamaica Stock Exchange with 5,063,063 units or 23.5 percent of the overall volume and Sagicor Group with 3,128,470 units or 14.5 percent of volume traded.
A total of 30 securities changed hands in the main and US dollar markets, with prices of 8 rising, 13 declining with 9 remaining unchanged, compared to 32 securities trading on Friday. Barita Investments ended at record high with the price moving to $46.50 at the close after it hit an intraday high of $47.
An average of 768,659 units valued at over $17,772,341, in contrast to 97,012 shares valued at $5,061,312 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date, amounts to 189,073 units with a value of $7,264,184, compared to 153,070 units with a value of $8,875,444, previously. November closed, with an average of 405,528 valued at $7,755,942, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 3 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments jumped $4.46 and ended at an all-time closing high of $46.50, with an exchange of 12,300 shares, Caribbean Cement lost 55 cents to close at $42, trading 2,655,630 shares, Grace Kennedy lost $1 and ended trading 22,392 shares at $60, Jamaica Broilers lost $1.75 to close at 
$27.75, in trading 938,678 stock units. JMMB Group lost $1.20 in trading 650,920 shares to close at $32.80. Kingston Wharves gained 50 cents and finished trading 4,524 stock units at $77.50, Mayberry Equities shed 30 cents to close at $9.20, with 250 stocks units changing hands. NCB Financial Group dropped $3.15 in trading 158,893 shares to close at $144, PanJam Investment declined by $1.80 to $72, with 23,867 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Real Estate Fund fell 50 cents in trading 34,000 shares at $10, Salada Foods lost $1 and ended trading at $30, with 19,520 stock units. Scotia Group fell $3.49 at $52.51, with 1,574,855 units changing hands, Stanley Motta traded 51,100 shares and rose 45 cents to close at $5.45 and Supreme Ventures rose 50 cents and closed at $16 trading 80,900 shares.
Trading in the US dollar market amounted to 48,095 units valued at $9,479 with Productivity Business settling at 58 US cents trading 875 shares and Proven Investments ended trading 47,220 shares at 19 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index rose 0.08 points to close at 155.04.
Archives for December 2018
Junior Market suffers losses – Monday
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange recorded a big fall in the Market Index on Monday by 31.03 points to close at 3,176.89 with the prices of 8 securities rising, 11 falling and 6 remaining unchanged.
Trading ended with 25 securities changing hands, resulting in an exchange of 1,192,642 units valued at $4,117,828, compared to 2,928,176 units valued at $13,658,144 on Friday, from 25 securities changing hands.
Trading ended with an average of 47,706 units for an average of $164,713 in contrast to 117,127 units for an average of $546,326 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 156,428 units at a value of $857,109, versus 164,307 units at a value of $907,282, previously. November, ended with an average of 190,475 units valued at $653,358 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 5 stocks ended with higher bids than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
At the close of the day’s activity, AMG Packaging ended with a loss of 10 cents at $1.85, in trading 6,000 stock units, Blue Power fell $1.20 trading of 10,677 units and closed at $5, Cargo Handlers settled with a loss of 60 cents at $14.10, with 526 shares changing hands. Caribbean Cream ended trading of just 100 shares and rose 32 cents, to end at $5.82, Caribbean Producers finished trading of 54,500 units and rose 4 cents higher to $5.44, Derrimon Trading ended with a loss of 1 cent at $2.57, with 1,007 shares traded. Elite Diagnostic finished with a loss of 13 cents at $2.87, with an exchange of 1,229 stock units, Eppley settled at $9, in exchanging 1,180 units, Everything Fresh fell 40 cents and ended trading 160,924 shares to close at $1.40. Express Catering ended trading 8,100 shares and rose by 10 cents to $8, FosRich Group exchanged 59,022 shares with a rise of 20 cents to end at $4.05, General Accident finished trading 10 cents higher at $3.50, with 25,347 shares changing hands, GWest Corporation closed at $1.60, after 1,400 stock units traded. Honey Bun ended 37 cents higher at $3.47, trading 124,236 units, Indies Pharma ended trading 368,110 shares to close at $3.10, Jamaica
n Teas settled with a rise of 10 cents to $3.90, with 26,289 shares trading, KLE Group finished with 500 shares trading at $3.40. Knutsford Express rose $1 to end at $13, with 1,500 shares changing hands, Lasco Distributors ended with a loss of 15 cents at $3.80, with an exchange of 122,927 shares. Lasco Financial concluded trading with 78,544 stock units, and falling $1.03 cents to close at $3.97, Lasco Manufacturing finished with a loss of 40 cents at $3.10, in exchanging 100,771 units, Main Event settled with a loss of 20 cents at $6, with 17,943 shares changing hands.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
Steady trading on TTSE Monday
Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange Head Quarters
Trading ended with 13 securities changing hands on Monday against 16 on Friday, and finished with 4 advancing, 3 declining and 6 remaining unchanged.
At close of the market, the Composite Index fell 2.01 points on Monday to 1,302.59, the All T&T Index fell 3.96 points to 1,702.44, while the Cross Listed Index remained unchanged. Trading ended with just 106,024 units valued at $4,839,646 compared to 213,145 units valued at $7,380,542 on Friday.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 2 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
Stocks closing with gains| Clico Investments finished 5 cents higher, to settle at $20.20, with 6,605 stock units changing hands, Guardian Holdings rose 27 cents and concluded trading of 4,867 units, at $18. Republic Financial Holdings added 25 cents and completed trading at $107.25, after exchanging 29,928 shares and Trinidad Cement rose just 1 cent and completed trading at $2.72, after exchanging 1,480 shares.
Stocks closing with Losses| First Citizens shed 45 cents and ended at $33.15, after exchanging 31,834 shares, Prestige Holdings lost 20 cents and concluded trading of 10,000 units 
at $7.30 and Trinidad & Tobago NGL ended trading 1 cent lower at $29.24, after exchanging 3,650 shares.
Stocks closing firm|Angostura Holdings settled at $16, with 6,615 stock units changing hands, JMMB Group completed trading at $1.78, after exchanging 10,000 shares, Massy Holdings completed trading at $47, in exchanging 300 shares. NCB Financial Group ended at $8.54, after trading just 345 shares, Sagicor Financial settled at $9.45, with 200 stock units changing hands and Scotiabank concluded market activity at $64, with 200 units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
JSE squeezes out gains on Friday
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, closed higher for the first time in four days on Thursday with the All Jamaican Composite Index advanced by 106.94 points to close at 372,136.84 and the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index rose 117.38 points to close at 408,441.99
Trading ended with 2,910,367 units valued at $151,839,351 compared with 14,405,936 units valued at $1,728,218,971 on Thursday.
NCB Financial Group led trading for the second consecutive day with 645,863 units in accounting for 22.2 percent of the day’s volume, followed by Carreras with 435,453 units or 15 percent of the overall volume and PanJam Investment with 221,900 units or 7.6 percent of volume traded.
A total of 32 securities changed hands in the main and US dollar markets, with prices of 8 rising, 12 declining with 12 remaining unchanged compared to 28 securities trading on Thursday. Barita Investments ended at record high with the price moving to $42.04 by the close while Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded at a 52 weeks’ intraday low of $9.51.
An average of 97,012 units valued at over $5,061,312, in contrast to 576,237 shares valued at $69,128,759 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date, amounts to 153,070 units with a value of $8,875,444, compared to 157,223 units with a value of $9,178,153, previously. November closed, with an average of 405,528 valued at $7,755,942, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 5 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments jumped $3.83 and ended at an all-time high of $42.04, with an exchange of 25,900 shares, Berger Paints fell $1.19 to end at $22, with 10,803 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Cement lost 45 cents to close at $42.55, with 47,371 shares traded, Grace Kennedy lost 25 cents and ended trading 31,804 shares at $61, JMMB Group gained 50 cents in trading 153,308 shares to close at $34. Kingston Wharves finished trading with 129,705 stock units at $77, Mayberry Investments jumped 95 cents and settled at $10, with an 
exchange of 146,650 units, Mayberry Equities shed 50 cents to close at $9.50, with 7,755 stocks changing hands. NCB Financial Group climbed $1.65 in trading 645,863 shares to close at $147.15, PanJam Investment rose $1.80 and closed at $73.80, with 221,900 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Group fell $1.80 to settle at $38.20, with an exchange of 12,909 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 65,591 shares at a 52 weeks’ intraday low of $9.51 but closed with a rise of 50 cents at $10.50 and Seprod rose 50 cents and ended trading 73,697 stock units at $31.
Trading in the US dollar market amounted to 272,654 units valued at $51,804 with Margaritaville settled 2 cents down to end at 0 US cents in trading 5,000 shares, Proven Investments ended trading of 267,654 shares and declining 1 cent to end at 2 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index declined by 12.81 points to close at 154.96.
Declining stocks dominate TTSE Friday
Trading ended with 16 securities changing hands on Friday against 17 on Thursday, and finished with 1 advancing, 7 declining and 8 remaining unchanged.
At close of the market, the Composite Index fell 1.81 points on Friday to 1,304.60, the All T&T Index rose 1.46 points to 1,706.40, while the Cross Listed Index shed 0.71 points to close at 121.98. Trading ended with 213,145 units valued at $7,380,542 compared to 138,424 units valued at $3,799,658 on Thursday.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 2 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
Stocks closing with gains| First Citizens added 45 cents and ended at $33.60, after exchanging 2,140 shares.
Stocks closing with Losses| Ansa Mcal shares fell 45 cents and concluded trading of 149 units at $55, Clico Investments closed with a loss of 5 cents and settled at $20.15, with 34,124 stock units changing hands, Grace Kennedy shed 15 cents and settled at $2.85, in trading 3,252 stock units, NCB Financial Group lost 6 cents and ended at $8.54, after exchanging 98 shares, Republic Financial Holdings ended trading 8 cents lower to $107, after exchanging 41,226 shares, Scotiabank lost 25 cents and concluded 
trading of 40 stock units at $64 and West Indian Tobacco traded with a loss of 30 cents and concluded trading of a mere 20 units at $95.10.
Stocks closing firm| Agostini’s completed trading at $23.40, after exchanging 20 shares, Ansa Merchant Bank ended at $38.26, in an exchange of 12,456 shares, JMMB Group completed trading of 8,465 shares at $1.78, Massy Holdings completed trading at $47, after exchanging 16,147 shares, National Enterprises settled at $8, with 84,672 stock units changing hands, One Caribbean Media exchanged 2,000 shares, at $10.50, Trinidad & Tobago NGL ended at $29.25, after trading 7,918 shares and Trinidad Cement completed trading 418 shares at $2.71.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
Sharp bump for Junior Market – Friday
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange recorded sharp jump in the Market Index on Friday by 66.60 points to close at 3,207.92 with the prices of 12 securities rising, 9 falling and 4 remaining unchanged
Trading ended with 25 securities changing hands, resulting in an exchange of 2,928,176 units valued at $13,658,144 compared to 934,731 units valued at $6,451,365 on Thursday, from 22 securities changing hands.
Trading ended with an average of 117,127 units for an average of $546,326 in contrast to 42,488 units for an average of $293,244 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 164,307 units at a value of $907,282, versus 204,205 units at a value of $935,482, previously. November, ended with an average of 190,475 units valued at $653,358 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 2 stocks ended with higher bids than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
At the close of the day’s activity, Access Financial closed $2.80 higher at $50.50, trading 963 shares, Cargo Handlers settled with a loss of 30 cents at $14.70, with an exchange of 900 shares, Caribbean Cream ended trading with a loss of 30 cents at $5.50, with 
30,000 shares changing hands, Caribbean Producers finished trading of 11,928 units with a loss of 4 cents at $5.40, Derrimon Trading ended 8 cents higher at $2.58, with an exchange of 37,841 shares. Dolphin Cove concluded trading of 570 shares with a rise of 95 cents to close at $16, Elite Diagnostic finished 13 cents higher at $3, with swapping of 29,950 stock units, Eppley settled at $9, with 150 units changing hands, Everything Fresh gained 20 cents and ended trading of 58,189 shares to close at $1.70, Express Catering ended trading with a loss of 10 cents at $7.90, with an exchange of 68,100 shares. FosRich Group traded 56,992 shares, with a loss of 10 cents to close at $3.85, General Accident finished trading 125,000 shares, after falling 5 cents to end at $3.40, Honey Bun ended with a loss of 40 cents at $3.10, with 13,545 units trading, Indies Pharma lost 20 cents trading 22,274 shares to close at $3.10, Jamaican Teas settled 10 cents higher at $3.80, with 9,935 shares changing hands. Jetcon Corporation ended trading 3,121 stock units, 
5 cents higher at $3.10, Key Insurance traded at $4, in exchanging 25,000 units, KLE Group finished the trading of 11,000 shares after rising 20 cents to $3.40, Knutsford Express closed at $12, with trading of 8,000 shares. Lasco Distributors ended 15 cents higher at $3.95, with 20,726 shares changing hands, Lasco Financial concluded trading of 2,063,937 stock units with a jump of 75 cents to $5, Lasco Manufacturing finished 14 cents higher at $3.50, in trading 281,460 units, Main Event settled with a loss of 15 cents at $6.20, with 7,095 shares changing hands, Medical Disposables ended trading with 11,500 shares at $6.70 and SSL Venture Capital traded 30,000 shares and rose 5 cents to end at $1.95.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
NCB dominates JSE with 11m shares on Thursday
NCB traded 11.4M shares.
Trading ended with 14,405,936 units valued at $1,728,218,971 with NCB Financial Group trading the almost 80 percent of the volume. Trading on Wednesday ended 1,491,666 units valued at $39,783,182.
NCB Financial Group led trading for the second consecutive day with 11.4 million units in accounting for 79 percent of the day’s volume, followed by Supreme Ventures with 807,515 units or 5.6 percent of the overall volume and Grace Kennedy with 559,304 units or 3.88 percent of volume traded.
A total of 28 securities changed hands in the main and US dollar markets, with prices of 10 rising, 5 declining and 13 remaining unchanged compared to 26 securities trading on Wednesday. Barita Investments was the only security to end at record high with the price moving to $38.21 by the close.
An average of 576,237 units valued at over $69,128,759 traded, in contrast to just 59,667 shares valued at $1,591,327 on Wednesday.
The average volume and value for the month to date, amounts to 157,223 units with a value of $9,178,153, compared to 129,656 units with a value of $4,932,360, previously. November closed, with an average of 405,528 valued at $7,755,942, for each security traded.IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 6 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments jumped $3.61 and ended at an all-time high of $38.21, with an exchange of 13,500 shares, Berger Paints rose $3.29 to end at $23.19, with 1,375 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Cement rose 50 cents to close at $43, with 24,199 shares traded, Grace Kennedy rose $2.25 and ended trading at $61.25, with 559,304 shares JMMB Group gained $1 in trading just 500 shares to close at $33.50. Mayberry Equities added 50 cents to close at $10, with 242,900
stocks changing hands. NCB Financial Group lost 50 cents in trading 11,369,487 shares to close at $145.50, Scotia Group jumped $3.50 and ended trading 58,256 stock units at $56, Sterling Investments rose 32 cents in closing at $3.40, with 119,121 shares trading and Supreme Ventures gained 40 cents to close at $15.50, with an exchange of 807,515 shares.Trading in the US dollar market amounted to 15,237 units valued at $4,269 with Margaritaville settled added 22.00 cents and ended at $0.22 with 2,900 shares, Proven Investments ended trading of 11,822 shares and declining 1 cent to end at 2 US cents. In the preference sector JMMB Group 5.75% concluded trading of 515 shares and ended at US$2. The USD Equities Index declined by 3.96 points to close at 167.77.
Rising stocks dominate Junior Market – Thursday
Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Thursday with 22 securities changing hands, resulting in an exchange of 934,731 units valued at $6,451,365 compared to 522,801 units valued at $2,363,665 on Wednesday from 28 securities changing hands.
At the close of market activities, the prices of 11 securities advanced, 5 declined and 6 remained unchanged leading to the Junior Market Index declining 25.11 points to close at 3,141.32.
Trading ended with an average of 42,488 units for an average of $293,244 in contrast to 18,671 units for an average of $84,417 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 204,205 units at a value of $935,482, versus 177,258 units at a value of $982,896, previously. November, ended with an average of 190,475 units valued at $653,358 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 7 stocks ended with higher bids than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
At the close of the day’s activity, Access Financial closed with a loss of 1.25 cents at $47.70, with an exchange of 200 shares, AMG Packaging ended 27 cents higher at $1.95, with 211,000 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Cream ended trading 3,088 shares, with a loss of 20 cents at $5.80, Caribbean Producers finished trading 38 cents higher at $5.44, with 2,740 units changing hands, Consolidated Bakeries closed at $1.90, in trading 2,000 shares. Derrimon Trading ended 30 cents higher at $2.50, with 54,844 shares changing hands, Dolphin Cove concluded trading of 191,787 shares, with a loss of 1.95 cents to end at $15.05, Elite Diagnostic finished at $2.87, in exchanging of 84,921 stock units, Eppley settled at $9, while trading 6,540 units. Everything Fresh gained 12 cents and ended trading 10,000 shares to close at $1.50, Express Catering ended trading 102,475 shares with the price rising 14 cents to $8, FosRich Group traded 19,169 
shares, at $3.95, GWest Corporation closed at $1.60, with an exchange of 10,801 stock units, Indies Pharma rose 10 cents in trading 12,136 shares to close at $3.30, Jetcon Corporation ended trading with a loss of 10 cents at $3.05, with an exchange of 4,010 stock units. Knutsford Express closed 5 cents higher at $12, with 27,700 shares changing hands, Lasco Distributors ended with a loss of 10 cents at $3.80, as 5,310 shares were traded, Lasco Financial concluded trading of 6,618 stock units, and move 10 cents higher to $4.25, Lasco Manufacturing closed 16 cents higher at $3.36, with an exchange of 38,662 units. Main Event settled at $6.35, with 800 shares changing hands, Medical Disposables ended trading 9,200 shares and added 20 cents to finish at $6.70 and Stationery and Office climbed $1.40 to close at $9.50, with 130,730 stock units trading.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
BOJ senses pick up in GDP growth
Image courtesy of arztsamui/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Economic activity may has picked up pace in the latter half of the year compared with the first half, with a strengthening in real GDP growth and employment over the second half of the year, Bank of Jamaica is suggesting.
The central bank was commenting on the increase in money in circulation for December. “This projected acceleration in the growth in real currency demand for December 2018 is consistent with the higher growth rate that has been evident between August and November 2018,” the central bank stated. Economic growth in the June quarter was preliminarily placed at 2.2 per cent by the Statistical institute of Jamaica.
The bank went on to say, “when the forecasted change in the general level of consumer prices is taken into account, the projected real growth in currency for the 2018 is 10.5 percent, which is higher than the real growth of 7.3 percent for the previous year.”
The projected currency stock of $128 billion at end-December 2018 represents an annual growth of 15.5 percent, an acceleration when compared with the 12.9 percent recorded at December 2017.
Bank of Jamaica projects that the value of currency issued by the Bank will increase by approximately $18 billion (or 16.5 percent) in December 2018 to end the month. The central bank states that the projected growth for the month is broadly consistent with the 16.5 percent growth recorded for December 2017 as well as the five-year average growth rate of 17.3 percent for December.
BOJ net issued $4.2 billion in currency for December up to 14, this year (representing a 3.8 percent growth for the month to date). This compares to net currency issue of $1.4 billion over the same period in 2017.
