Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Tuesday with JSE All Jamaican Composite Index diving 3,381.16 points to close at 424,644.22 and the JSE Index dropping 3,072.49 points to close at 386,878.89.
The newly created Financial Index closed with a decline of 0.44 points to 100.09.
At the close market activity, the main and US markets traded 34 securities, compared to 31 securities trading on Thursday as 13 advanced, 16 declined and 5 traded without changes in prices.
Main market activity ended with 15,376,856 units valued $418,574,978 compared to 4,168,850 units valued at $82,747,972, changing hands, on Monday.
JMMB Group ordinary stock led trading with just over 10.36 million shares for 67.4 percent of the day’s volume, JMMB Group 7.25% preference was next with 2,409,833 units, accounting for 15.7 percent of the total main market volume changing hands and Victoria Mutual Investments ended with 359,198 shares, for 2 percent of the day’s volume.
Market activity ended with an average 480,527 units valued at over $13,080,468, in contrast to 138,962 units valued at over $2,758,266 on Monday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 389,462 shares at $5,971,637, in contrast to 342,460 units valued at $2,302,562 on the prior trading day. Trading for February resulted in an average of 281,016 shares with a value of $11,715,160, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the reading showing 8 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments lost $1.01 to close at $49, trading of 220,804 shares, Berger Paints fell 40 cents and ended at $20.10, with an exchange of 31,329 stock units, Caribbean Cement closed with a drop of $5 to finish at $50, with 301,614 shares changing hands. Carreras traded 246,647 and lost 52 cents to close at $8.91, Grace Kennedy traded 3,340 stock units after rising 88 cents to close at $61.38, Jamaica Broilers finished trading 13,789 
shares after gaining 45 cents to close at $34, Jamaica Producers rose 45 cents and closed trading of 22,284 shares, at $22.95. Jamaica Stock Exchange exchanged 38,711 shares after falling by $1.10 to $15.90, JMMB Group concluded trading of 10,363,886 shares with a fall of $1.10 to close at $31.90. Kingston Wharves jumped $1 and settled at $76, with an exchange of 549 units. Mayberry Equities rose 47 cents in trading of 1,000 shares at $9.45, Proven Investments traded 9,165 shares to rise by $3 to end at $31. Sagicor Group lost 90 cents in trading 235,611 shares, to close at $39, Salada Foods gained 99 cents trading 1,400 units to close at $29.99 and Supreme Ventures shed $1 to finish at $22 with 59,963 units changing hands.
Trading in the US dollar market resulted in 8,947 units valued at $922 changing hands. Proven Investments closed trading with 3,100 units changing hands at 21.50 US cents down less than haft a cent and Sterling Investments traded 5,847 units at 4 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index declined 0.92 points to close at 174.22.
Archives for March 2019
13 JSE main stocks rise 13 fall
Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Monday with JSE All Jamaican Composite Index falling by 425.48 points to 428,025.38 and the JSE Index declined by 386.63 points to 389,951.38.
The newly created Financial Index closed with a decline of 0.44 points to 100.09.
At the close market activity, the main and US markets traded 31 securities, compared to 35 securities trading on Thursday as 13 advanced, 13 declined and 5 traded without changes in prices.
Main market activity ended with 4,168,850 units valued at $82,747,972 compared to 17,063,678 units valued $60,010,887, changing hands, on Friday.
JMMB Group 7.25% Preference led trading with 1 million shares for 24 percent of the day’s volume, Sagicor Group was next with 914,140 units, accounting for 22 percent of the total main market volume changing hands and Sagicor Real Estate Fund ended with 551,459 shares, for13 percent of the day’s volume. Kingston properties traded at an at a 52 weeks’ high of $8.45 before retreating to close at $6.35.
Market activity ended with an average 138,962 units valued at over $2,758,266, in contrast to 533,240 shares valued at $1,875,340 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 342,460 units valued at $2,302,562. Trading for February resulted in an average of 281,016 shares with a value of $11,715,160, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the reading showing 9 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments rose $2 to close at $50.01, trading of 36,820 shares, Berger Paints gained 99 cents and ended at $20.50, with an exchange of 52,405 stock units, Caribbean Cement closed with a gain of $1 to finish at $55, with 42,613 shares changing hands. Grace Kennedy jumped $1.13 trading 144,809 stock units to close at $60.50, Jamaica Broilers finished trading 37,111 shares after gaining 99 cents to close at $33.55, Jamaica Producers lost 50 cents and 
closed trading of 31,300 shares, at $22.50, JMMB Group concluded trading of 123,997 shares with a rise of $1 to close at $33. Kingston Wharves jumped $3.50 and settled at $75, with an exchange of 861 units. Mayberry Equities dipped $1 and ended trading of 104,405 shares at $9, NCB Financial Group traded 14,520 shares but rose 30 cents to end at $144.80, PanJam Investment lost $1 to end at $79, in trading 13,940 units. Sagicor Group lost $1.10 in trading 914,140 shares, to close at $39.90, Salada Foods shed 50 cents trading 2,760 units to close at $29 and Supreme Ventures climbed $1 to finish at $23 with 52,756 units changing hands.
Trading in the US dollar market Proven Investment was the only security trading with 1,300 units changing hands at 21.97 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index declined 0.04 points to close at 175.14.
17 Junior Market stocks fall on Monday
Fontana finished the trading of 3.7 million shares to end at a record close of $4.01.
Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Monday with 29 securities changing hands, compared with 26 securities trading on Friday and ending with the prices of 8 securities advancing, 17 declining and 4 remaining unchanged.
Market activities led to the Junior Market index dropping 23.96 points to close at 3,119.82 as of 6,546,471 units valued at $26,108,684 were exchanged, compared to 3,598,159 units valued at $16,062,046 on Friday.
Trading ended with an average of 225,740 units for an average of $900,299 in contrast to 138,391 units for an average of $617,771 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to units 184,448 valued at $766,741. In contrast, February closed with average of 235,225 units valued at $679,790 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 8 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
At the close of trading, Access Financial exchanged 200 shares to close at $53, AMG Packaging ended with a loss of 18 cents at $2.31, with an exchange of 18,331 stock units, Blue Power concluded trading of 11,150 units with a loss of 8 cents to close at $4.85. Cargo Handlers settled with a loss of 20 cents at $13, with 7,500 shares trading, Caribbean Cream ended trading of 4,500 shares, for 8 cents higher at $5.20, Caribbean Producers traded 44,000 units, with a loss of 10 cents in closing at $4.50, Derrimon Trading ended 10 cents higher at $2.70, with 90,990 shares changing hands. Dolphin Cove concluded trading of 77,298 shares, with a loss of 50 cents to end at $13.50, Everything Fresh finished 2 cents higher at $1.52, trading 38,000 stock units. Elite Diagnostic rose 10 cents to $3.30, with the trading of 16,229 units, Express Catering ended trading with 16,120 shares after rising 39 cents higher to close at $7.85, FosRich Group traded 120,668 shares, with a loss of 20 cents at $3.80. Fontana finished the trading of 3,702,697 shares and rose 5 cents to end at a record close of $4.01, General Accident closed at $4.50, with 32,665 stock units crossing the exchange trading platform, Honey Bun ended trading 12,744 shares with a loss of 1 cent at $3.80, ICreate swapped 60,985 and rose 1 cent to close at $1.01. 
Indies Pharma lost 14 cents to close at $3, with 78,934 shares changing hands, Iron Rock settled with the trading 30,000 shares at $3.50, Jamaican Teas lost 24 cents to close at $4, with trading 14,090 units, Jetcon Corporation finished trading with 26,734 shares but lost 20 cents to close at $3.10. Knutsford Express concluded exchanging 2,670 stock units, with a loss of 87 cents to end at $12, Lasco Distributors finished with a loss of 9 cents at $3.70, with 985,338 units changing hands. Lasco Financial settled 60 cents higher at $5, with an exchange of 659,332 shares, Lasco Manufacturing ended trading with 257,520 shares after declining 24 cents at $3, Main Event traded 7,286 shares at $5.40, Medical Disposables swapped 18,300 stock units with a loss of 5 cents at $6.55. Paramount Trading closed with a loss of 4 cents at $2.04, with 211,090 units changing hands, Stationery and Office Supplies concluded trading of 1,000 shares with a loss of 10 cents, at $8.40 and tTech settled with a loss of 70 cents at $5.50, with and exchange of 100 stock units.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
Market Watch on Scotia
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange moved within less than 5,000 points of the record close in November last year as investors pushed the prices of some stocks higher during the past week.
Based on the date the first quarter results for Scotia Group was released in 2018, the 2019 results should be released on Thursday but so far the company has not posted the date of dividend consideration that is normally the date of announcing the results. Caribbean Cement closed at $55 and should move higher with limited supply on offer and an analysis of the audited 2018n results suggesting that cost should decline and revenues rise in the current year. IC Insider.com raised earnings to $6 for the year with the expensive $1 billion cement import last year not recurring this year and the benefit of a full year of removal of lease cost with added saving this year from the $2 billion annual savings from resulting from owning the kilns rather than leasing. Keep on watching this one for a break out in price.
Radio Jamaica pulled back to $1 late last week but there is buying at those levels and above.
The Junior Market is consolidating with a slight negative bias, even as this market seems far more undervalued than the main market, the release of quarterly profit results is not helping this market currently as investors wait to see what 2019 results will look like.
Last week, a number of results were released but they showed that investors may have pushed prices to their limit already. Jamaica Stock Exchange report big increase in profit for 2018 of $413 million versus $221 million in 2017 with earnings per share of 59 cents and thus pushing the PE ratio to a rich 30. Berger Paints profits were flat but the company had a blowout final quarter with revenues jumping 155 percent from the poor 2017 quarter and profits of $130 million versus just $30 million in 2017. Grace Kennedy reported improved results with earnings per share of $5, helped
Grace new HQ close to the end of construction in downtown Kingston
Fontana’s and Wisynco continues to trade around their current prices just below $4 and $12 respectively and seem poised to continue to move side wards for a while.
Elite Diagnostic moved up to $3.20 last week with good demand at that level continues to trade around $3.10 with a gap developing between the bids at $3.10 and sellers at $3.40. Will buyers move higher or will sellers come down where the majority of buyers are? Watch to see how this develops.
Buying for General Accident continues to trade around $4.50 level with no clear signs when it will the break out to a higher price level.
Lasco Financial remains stuck around $4.60 price level with some selling taking place at $4.60, but buying is not strong enough to move the price in the short term. Medical Disposables bounced last week but the price may bounce around for some time in the medium term.
Major capital increase for Barita?
If one of the resolutions to be put to shareholders of Barita Investments at the upcoming Annual General Meeting set for March 21 is anything to go by, the company is set for some major changes.
According to the notice of meeting, shareholders are being asked, to approve a major increase in the authorized capital of the brokerage house, to 15 billion units up from 1 billion currently. The increase will result in the creation of 13.5 billion new ordinary shares and 500 Million preference shares.
The meeting is being asked to give Directors authority to dispose of the newly created shares in such manner as they think most beneficial to the Company. The company did not state the purpose of the added shares.
The company by the end of March, will be issuing new shares to existing shareholders, following the approval of a right issue, 10 new share for 17 existing ones at $15.50 each. The proceeds of the rights issue will take the issued capital up by 262.28 million units to 708 million shares. At this level the shares will not be very liquid and the company will need to split the stock to help improve liquidity.
The rights issue seems to be just one of a series of moves by the company to increase the number of issued shares. In 2018, IC Insider.com suggested that the company was set to issue rights to existing shareholders as well as the likelihood of splitting the stock. The move to increase the authorised capital seems poised to fulfill the splitting of the stock. The odds favour a stock bonus that could well result in issued shares moving to between 2.1 billion and 2.8 billion units. Such a move would result in more liquidity for the closely held stock and not the most liquid on the market. A stock split that
Barita Investments shareholders seem poised to get a stock split sooner than later.
would use of just 2 billion of the increased share capital, suggests that there is much more to the move than the annual report speaks to. This publication is of the view that one or more major regional financial institutions are likely to buy into Barita well ahead of the final quarter of 2019. The move would result in Conerstone, the current major shareholders reducing their percentage holdings. Barita could well go back to the market to garner funds from a wider cross section of investors and thereby increasing the number of investors in the company.
At the end of December, Barita shareholder’s capital was $3.05 billion with total assets of $19 billion. The company reported profit of $108 million after foreign exchange and trading gains of $156 million up from a loss of $39 million in 2017.
JSE majors 5,000 point short of record high
New ecord high is in sight for the JSE main market.
The JSE Index advanced 3,259.38 points to 390,338.01, within 4,453.88 points, of the record close reached in November, last year. The newly created Financial Index closed up 0.53 points to 100.53.
At the close market activity, the main and US markets traded 35 securities, compared to 38 securities trading on Thursday as 8 advanced, 18 declined and 9 traded without changes in prices.
Supreme Ventures traded at an at a 52 weeks’ high of $25 before retreating to close at $22 and the Jamaica Stock Exchange traded at a record high of $18.22 but ended lower at the close.
Main market activity ended with 17,063,678 units valued $60,010,887 compared to 6,800,119 units valued at $107,742,633, changing hands, on Thursday.
Sagicor Bank led trading with 15 million shares for 88 percent of the day’s volume, Mayberry Jamaican Equities was next with 475,175 units, accounting for 3 percent of the total main market volume changing hands and Radio Jamaica ended with 366,987 shares, for 2 percent of the day’s volume.
Market activity ended with an average 533,240 units valued at $1,875,340, in contrast to 206,064 shares valued at $3,264,928 on Thursday. Trading for February resulted in an average of 281,016 shares with a value of $11,715,160, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the reading showing 9 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments closed at $48.01, with the trading of 6,279 shares, Berger Paints lost 49 cents and ended at $19.51, with an exchange of 4,897 stock units, Caribbean Cement closed with a gain of $1 to finish at $55, with 42,613 shares changing hands, Grace Kennedy gained 53 cents trading 89,379 stock units at $59.37. Jamaica Broilers finished trading 28,707 shares after falling $1.84 to close at $32.56, JMMB Group concluded trading 44,055 shares with a loss of $1 to close at $32, Jamaica Stock Exchange lost $1 and
ended at $17, with 360,982 shares changing hands, Kingston Wharves dropped $3.50 and settled at $71.50, with an exchange of 3,346 units. Mayberry Equities rose 90 cents and ended trading of 475,175 shares at $10, NCB Financial Group traded 96,803 shares but fell 50 cents to end at $144.50, PanJam Investment gained 55 cents to end at $80, trading 4,986 units. Sagicor Group added 95 cents in trading 5,281 shares to close at $41, Salada Foods shed $2 trading 5,018 units to close at $29.50, Scotia Group lost 40 cents trading 24,927 stock units at $53, Seprod lost $1.88 and closed at $42.52, trading 9,628 shares. Supreme Ventures jumped $2 to finish at $22 with 118,409 units changing hands and Wisynco Group lost 45 cents and ended trading of 80,089 shares at $11.50.Trading in the US dollar market resulted in 141,624 units valued at over $91,276 changing hands. JMMB Group 5.75% preference share closed at $2 trading 2,500 shares, Margaritaville ended trading of 2,505 shares at 24 US cents and Sygnus Credit Investments exchanged of 4,554 shares at 11 US. The JSE USD Equities Index rose 0.06 points to close at 175.18.
Falling stocks dominate Junior Market – Friday
Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Friday with 26 securities changing hands, compared with 25 securities trading on Thursday and ending with the prices of 6 securities advancing, 13 declining and 6 remaining unchanged.
At the close of market activities, 3,598,159 units valued at $16,062,044 changed hands, compared to 10,156,220 units valued at $31,853,419 on Thursday. Trading ended with an average of 138,391 units for an average of $617,771 in contrast to 406,249 units for an average of $1,274,137 on Thursday. In contrast, February closed with average of 235,225 units valued at $679,790 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 6 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.
At the close of the trading, Access Financial closed $3 higher to $53, with 6,150 shares trading, AMG Packaging closed 9 cents higher at $2.49, with 18,125 stock units changing hands, Blue Power concluded trading of 21,298 units at $4.93, CAC 2000 finished trading with a loss of 10 cents at $12.40, with an exchange of 2,500 shares. Caribbean Flavours lost $1.51, exchanging 44,483 stock units, at $18.49, Caribbean Producers finished trading 15,692 units at $4.60, Derrimon Trading ended with a loss of 10 cents at $2.60, trading 277,652 shares, Everything Fresh finished with a loss of 15 cents at $1.50, with an exchange of 79,794 stock units. Elite Diagnostic settled at $3.20, with an exchange of 35,968 units, Express Catering ended trading of 583,562 shares, with a loss of 39 cents at $7.46, FosRich Group traded 66,355 shares to close at $4, Fontana finished trading with a loss of 2 cents at $3.96, with 164,513 shares changing hands. General Accident closed at $4.50, with 561,039 exchanging stock units, Honey Bun concluded trading 1,143,609 shares 1 cent higher at $3.81, ICreate swapped 275,417 and lost 2 cents to close at all-time low of $1. Indies Pharma finished 14 
cents higher at $3.14, trading 36,886 shares, Iron Rock settled at $3.50, with an exchange of 27,500 shares, Jamaican Teas traded 58,475 units with a loss of 26 cents to end at $4.24. Jetcon Corporation finished trading 3,768 shares and rose 20 cents to $3.30, Lasco Distributors finished with a loss of 1 cent at $3.79, with 28,381 units changing hands, Lasco Financial settled with a loss of 20 cents at $4.40, with 4,261 shares crossing the trading platform. Lasco Manufacturing ended trading 54,369 shares, with a loss of 1 cent to close at $3.24, Main Event traded 3,080 shares with a loss of 10 cents to end at $5.40, Medical Disposables finished with a loss of 20 cents at $6.60, trading 8,700 stock units and tTech settled 70 cents higher at $6.20, with just 200 stock units trading. In the junior market preference segment, Derrimon Trading preference share ended at $2.10, with 76,382 stock units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
4 TTSE stocks rise none fall – Friday
Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange Head Quarters
Stocks listed on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange ended on Friday with continued signs of recovery from years of falling price.
At the close of trading in 15 securities changed hands against 17 on Thursday, with 4 advancing, none declining and 11 remaining unchanged.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended the week in a positive position with 6 stocks having bids higher than their last selling prices and none with lower offers.
At close of the market, the Composite Index gained 0.10 points to 1,333.83. The All T&T Index shed 0.14 points to 1,762.60, while the Cross Listed Index rose 0.05 points to close at 122.17. Trading ended with 243,261 shares valued $2,537,602, compared to 315,496 shares at a value of $4,120,962 on Thursday.
At the close of the market, stocks trading on Friday with gains are| Clico Investments increasing 5 cents to end at $20.20, with 61,197 stock units changing hands, First Citizens gaining 1 cent to settle at $35, after exchanging 7,528 shares. JMMB Group finishing 3 cents higher at $1.75, after trading 111,751 shares and One Caribbean Media trading 18,482 shares after jumping 39 cents to close at $10.40.
Stocks closing firm | Grace Kennedy ended at $3.10, with 16,177 stock units changing hands, Guardian Holdings completed trading of 438 units, at $18, Massy Holdings closed at $52, after exchanging 1,900 shares, National Enterprises ended at $8, with 169 stock units changing hands, National Flour completed trading of 3,779 units at $1.65. Prestige Holdings traded 2,527 units at $7.35, Republic Financial Holdings settled at $120, after exchanging 1,321 shares, Sagicor Financial ended at $9.80, after exchanging 40 shares, Trinidad & Tobago NGL completed trading of 9,561 units, at $30, Trinidad Cement settled at $2.55, after exchanging 8,340 shares and Unilever Caribbean closed at $26.50, after exchanging 51 shares.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
New index for JSE on Friday
The Jamaica Stock Exchange introduces the long overdue JSE Financial Index on Friday. The index will track the performance of financial services companies, listed on the exchange.
The JSE Financial Index is the JSE’s first Sector Index since 1974. The Index will commence at a base of 100 points. The index includes insurance companies, banks, microfinance companies, consumer finance companies and diverse financial services companies listed on both the Main Market and Junior Market and trade in Jamaican dollars. The JSE Financial Index will provide information on the overall performance of the financial sector.
Marlene Street Forrest, Managing Director of the JSE stated that, “Innovation is the key for survival of any company. In keeping with its 50th anniversary celebration, the JSE will be introducing new products, services and market measurements that will be of interest to all market participants. Consistent with other Indices on the market, the JSE Financial Index will be computed using the weighted average market capitalization method. The Index will be calculated in real time and reported daily, in the same manner as the other JSE’s Indices.”
“Almost 30 percent of the companies listed on the Exchange are financial companies and therefore, this is a useful Index to track this important sector”, the Managing Director stated. “We are looking to develop more sector specific Indices in the near future”, she went on to say.
The other indices of the exchange are, the JSE Combined Index, the JSE Index, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index, the JSE Select Index, the JSE Cross Listed Index, the Junior Market Index and the JSE USD Equities Index. Up to 1974, the exchange had a utilities index that was discontinued in that year, an Industrial index and a Composite index.
