Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market declined at the close of trading on Friday, with an increased volume of stocks trading, but at a lower value than on Thursday.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined 2,739.44 points to 414,030.14, the JSE Market Index dropped 2,589.23 points to 377,364.54 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.66 points to 99.07.
The market closed with 47 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 20 stocks advancing, 16 declining and 11 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 40 securities accounting for 19,035,180 units valued at $127,444,585, in contrast to 11,035,315 units valued $112,835,625 from 41 securities on Thursday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 9.9 million shares for 52 percent of total volume followed by Trans Jamaican Highway with 4.6 million units for 24 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.4 million units for 7 percent market share.
The Market closed with an average of 475,880 units valued $3,186,115 for each security traded, in contrast to 269,154 units valued at an average of $2,752,088 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 356,019 units valued at $2,925,515 for each security changing hands, compared to 348,777 units with an average of $2,908,729.
Trading in April resulted in an average of 1,077,021 units valued at $3,829,201 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eleven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six stocks closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.5, while the Main Market ended at 14.8 times 2020-21 earnings.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments gained 50 cents trading 7,900 units to end at $51, Caribbean Cement fell $1.10 to $48.40, in exchanging 31,502 stock units, First Rock Capital shed 35 cents transferring 3,450 units to settle at $11.15. Jamaica Stock Exchange closed 47 cents lower to finish at $22.50, with 12,637 units changing hands, Key Insurance picked up 88 cents to end at $5.38, after swapping 6,354 units, Kingston Wharves dropped $1.25 to close at $57, after swapping 12,168 units. Mayberry Investments gained 40 cents to close at $6 after exchanging 114,835 shares, 
Mayberry Jamaican Equities picked up 60 cents to end at $10, with a transfer of 3,252 units, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy declined by $19 trading 511 units and closed at $151. NCB Financial Group advanced $8 to $148, with 494,118 shares changing hands, 138 Student Living closed 75 cents lower at $7, after swapping 88,036 stock units, Palace Amusement clawed back $200 to advance to $1,300, after trading 88 units. Proven Investments climbed $2 to finish at $36.50, with 11,045 units crossing the exchange, Sagicor Group traded 39,346 stock units at $45, after gaining 40 cents, Scotia Group advanced by $3 to $47, in transferring 155,397 shares. Seprod climbed $2 to $53 exchanging 19,307 units and Wisynco Group ended the day’s trade 32 cents lower at $17.58, in swapping 38,239 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Cargo Handlers closed 5 cents higher at $6.55, with 190 stock units trading, Caribbean Cream climbed 15 cents and exchanged 734 shares at $2.69, Caribbean Producers closed 11 cents higher at $2.52, with 477,643 stock units trading. Derrimon Trading closed 7 cents higher at $2.50, with 17,431 stock units traded, Elite Diagnostic declined by 59 cents in exchanging 9,360 units at $3.29, Express Catering climbed 16 cents and exchanged 18,269 shares at $3.51, Fosrich closed 30 cents higher after trading 99,267 stock units at $4. Fontana closed trading of 96,620 units and gained 34 cents to end at $5.90, General Accident closed 2 cents higher at $6.01, with 648,867 stock units trading. Honey Bun climbed 45 cents and exchanged 52,137 shares at $5.45, iCreate closed with 112,094 units passing through the market and gained 2 cents to end at 55 cents, Iron Rock Insurance declined by 9 cents to settle at $3.90, with 3,000 units changing hands. Jamaican Teas ended trading of 125,687 units with gains of 39 cents to end at $4.29, Jetcon Corporation closed with a loss of 8 cents at 80 cents swapping 28,000 shares, Knutsford Express closed trading of 500 units and gained 20 cents to end at $8.70. 
Lasco Distributors declined by 10 cents trading 630,500 units at $2.90, Lasco Manufacturing fell by 30 cents exchanging 797,613 units at $4, Limners and Bards dipped 8 cents trading 198,771 units at $1.82. Lumber Depot shed 2 cents trading 370,242 units at $1.12, MailPac Group closed with a loss of 3 cents at $1.88 swapping 251,508 shares, Medical Disposables shed 5 cents transferring 22,711 units at $7. Main Event lost 10 cents in trading of 18,000 units at $4.08, Stationery and Office Supplies lost 5 cents 20,757 units changing hands at $6. SSL Venture ended market activity while exchanging 18,400 shares to close at 75 cents, after falling 10 cents and tTech closed with a loss of 9 cents at $4.41 after swapping 42,269 shares.
The T&T Composite Index climbed 5.97 points to 1,283.09, while the Cross Listed Index lost 0.27 points to close at 113.29 as the prices of stocks held firm. The volume of stocks passing through the market amounted to 259,251 shares valued at $1,913,388 compared to 209,683 shares for $2,262,736 on Thursday.
Firm Trades│ Clico Investments exchanged 773 units at $25.30, First Citizens Bank traded 5,850 units at $44, Massy Holdings ended at $63, in swapping 448 units, One Caribbean Media remained at $5.50, with 1,100 units changing hands. Republic Financial Holdings transferred 135 units at $132.72, Trinidad and Tobago NGL closed at $16 trading 1,800 units, Trinidad Cement held firm at $1.90, with an exchange of 18,050 units and Unilever Caribbean remained at $16.99, after swapping 36,167 stock units.
Market activity ended with prices of two stocks closing up, two falling and three remained unchanged. Investors exchanged 57,581 shares for US$12,255, in contrast to 29,646 units valued at US$6,434, from the trading of just two securities on Thursday.
According to a Gleaner report in 2010, “the company not only acquired some 820 hectares of lands last year to add to its Golden Grove Sugar Company operations but also upgraded its factory. The strategy of an upgraded factory and “economies of scale” is expected to reap increased revenues for the group, according to Group Chairman Paul Scott.” Shortly after they acquired the business, the directors were told they were undertaking a huge gamble and would have been better off if they had left it alone. Ten years later, with billion-dollar losses, Seprod finally stopped the costly experiment.
The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 348,777 units valued at $2,908,729 for each security changing hands, compared to 354,034 units with an average value of $2,919,802. Trading in April resulted in an average of 1,077,021 units valued at $3,829,201 for each security.
Mayberry Investments lost 40 cents to close at $5.60 with 30,485 stock units changing hands, Mayberry Jamaican Equities exchanged 27,317 stock units after shedding 60 cents to end at $9.40, and is trading at an 11.5 percent premium to the Net Asset Value as of May 18, of J$8.15. Palace Amusement closed $200 lower to $1,100, in trading 81 units, Proven Investments lost 50 cents to settle at $34.50 in swapping 2,417 units, Salada Foods declined to $26, with a loss of $2 after transferring 9,397 units. Scotia Group closed at $44, after losing $1 and exchanging 5,173 units and Sygnus Credit Investments ended the day 90 cents higher at $16, with 4,069 units changing hands.
Trading concluded with 29 securities changing hands, resulting in an exchange of 3,217,184 units valued at $14,221,850 compared to 2,553,437 units valued at $9,523,569 from 30 securities on Wednesday. The market’s PE ratio closed at 9.2 times 2020-21 earnings.
At the close of the market, the recently listed Caribbean Assurance Brokers climbed 11 cents to $2.50 with an exchange of 80,524 units as supply continues to dry up for the stock. Caribbean Cream ended with a loss of 1 cent at $2.54 with 20,000 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Producers finished at $2.41 after sliding 8 cents in the swapping 526,391 units, Derrimon Trading jumped 31 cents in the exchange of 85,106 shares to close at $2.43. Everything Fresh ended 9 cents higher at 80 cents with 26,000 shares changing hands, Express Catering shed 16 cents trading 23,200 stock units at $3.35, Fontana ended market activity 12 cents higher at $5.56 trading 298,168 shares. General Accident jumped 99 cents in the exchange of 1,404,778 units to close at $5.99 after the company posted first-quarter results, with profit rising 146 percent to $76 million as investments and other income grew from just $7 million to $74 million. Honey Bun fell 15 cents to $5 with 34,711 shares crossing the exchange, iCreate added 2 cents and exchanged 70,302 shares to finish at 53 cents, Iron Rock Insurance climbed 54 cents to $3.99 with trading a mere 200 units, Jamaican Teas lost 10 cents in swapping 41,176 units to end at $3.90. 
Lasco Distributors declined 3 cents to finish at $3 in the trading 95,285 units, Lasco Manufacturing jumped 25 cents and swapped 1,481 shares to settle at $4.30, Limners and Bards finished at $1.90 after gaining 5 cents and exchanging 12,428 shares. Lumber Depot added 1 cent and traded 79,678 units to close at $1.14, MailPac picked up 3 cents to end at $1.91 with 166,821 shares changing hands, Main Event rounded out the day at $4.18 after gaining 10 cents and exchanging 200 shares. Medical Disposables closed trading of 77,337 units and slipped 7 cents to end at $7.05, Stationery and Office Supplies dropped 25 cents in swapping 68,787 shares to settle at $6.05 and tTech fell 25 cents to $4.50 with 21,000 with units crossing the exchange.
Market activity ended with only one stock closing with a change in the price. Investors exchanged 29,646 units at US$6,434, in contrast to 272,913 units valued at US$53,621, from the trading of five securities on Wednesday.
The T&T Composite Index added 1.32 points to 1,277.12. The All T&T Index gained 2.61 points to 1,714.20, while the Cross Listed Index remained unchanged at 113.56.
Firm Trades│ First Citizens ended the day at $44, in trading 1,125 units, L.J Williams B share held firm at $1.48, with an exchange of 7,500 stock units, National Flour transferred 44,584 shares at $1.70. One Caribbean Media traded 3,000 units at $5.50. Point Lisas swapped 281 units at $3.30, Scotiabank ended at $54.65 with a transfer of 300 units, Trinidad Cement held firm at $1.90, after trading 100,000 shares, Unilever Caribbean remained at $16.99, after swapping 1,290 units and West Indian Tobacco exchanged 2,777 units at $31.40.
The day’s activities ended with 30 securities changing hands, resulting in an exchange of 2,553,437 units valued at $9,523,569 compared to 7,713,659 units for $39,344,491 from 31 companies on Tuesday. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market ended at 9.1 times 2020-21 earnings.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows three stocks ended with bids higher than its last selling prices and three with lower offers.
ISP Finance shed $1.90 in the trading of 6,010 shares to end at $14, Jamaican Teas inched 1 cent higher and exchanged 52,000 shares to settle at $4, Knutsford Express jumped 80 cents to $8.50 with 3,470 units changing hands. Lasco Distributors climbed 73 cents to $3.03, with the swapping of 200 shares, Lasco Financial picked up 10 cents and exchanged 36,897 shares to end at $2.70, Lasco Manufacturing traded 1,018,392 units to close at $4.05 after slipping 4 cents. Limners and Bards declined 5 cents in switching 5,500 units to end at $1.85, Lumber Depot gained 1 cent to end at $1.13 with 95,476 shares traded, MailPac Group gained 4 cents in the exchange of 343,873 units to settle at $1.88 and Medical Disposables jumped 82 cents to close at $7.12 with 6,000 shares crossing the exchange.
