Trading closed on Thursday with the volume of stocks traded rising 90 percent, with 64 percent greater value than in trading on Wednesday as the Junior Market closed with five stocks falling for every three that rose and sending the market index down below the 3,300, for the first time since May 10.
A total of 37 securities traded versus 36 on Wednesday, with 12 rising, 19 declining and six closing unchanged.
The Junior Market Index fell 33.16 points to close at 3,296.05. The PE Ratio based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings forecast averages 12.3.
Trading ended with 9,546,922 shares for $20,365,504, up from 5,015,838 units at $12,383,936 on Wednesday.
Future Energy Source led trading with 51.5 percent of total volume after 4.91 million shares traded, followed by Lasco Financial 8.9 percent with 846,659 units and Jamaican Teas with 8.7 percent market share with an exchange of 830,856 units.
Trading averaged 258,025 units at $550,419 in contrast to 139,329 at $343,998 on Wednesday. Month to date averages 326,224 units at $781,671, compared to 330,148 shares at $794,978 on Wednesday. April closed with an average of 329,241 units at $854,716.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ending with the bid higher than its last selling price and four with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial climbed $2.29 to $22.49 with an exchange of 2,500 shares, CAC 2000 advanced 30 cents to $10 with 14,535 units changing hands, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 11 cents to finish at $1.86 with a transfer of 32,517 stocks. Caribbean Cream dropped 23 cents to $5.77 with 798 shares passing through the market, Caribbean Flavours rose 6 cents to $2.12 in exchanging 4,316 units, Derrimon Trading slipped 6 cents to $2.46 with 139,011 stocks changing hands. Dolphin Cove shed $1 to close at $7 with a transfer of 35,302 shares, Fontana gained 9 cents to end at $6.18 with 54,919 units passing through the market, General Accident fell 15 cents to $5.85 with 15,561 stocks traded. Honey Bun advanced 22 cents to $6.97 with an exchange of 36,956 shares, Jamaican Teas lost 5 cents to finish at $4 with 830,856 units changing hands, Jetcon Corpoation slipped 5 cents to $1 with a transfer of 51,340 stock units. 
KLE Group climbed 28 cents to $1.30 with 68,000 stocks passing through the market, Knutsford Express fell 10 cents to $8 with 500 shares traded, Lasco Distributors rose 11 cents to $4.30 with an exchange of 118,363 units. Lasco Manufacturing dropped 14 cents to $5.35 with 73,518 stocks changing hands, Limners and Bards slipped 5 cents to $3.20 with a transfer of 149,575 stock units, Lumber Depot lost 10 cents to settle at $3.30 with 373,843 stocks traded and Main Event advanced 20 cents to $4.20 with 1,582 shares crossing the exchange.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The All Jamaican Composite Index gained 109.54 points to 452,557.89, the JSE Main Index shed 184.88 points to 421,312.28 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.05 points to settle at 104.30.
April closed with an average of 234,200 units at $1,772,561.
Proven Investments declined $1.99 to $35.01 with 251,559 stock units clearing the market, Seprod gained 51 cents in ending at $73.51 and switching ownership of 12,312 stocks, Stanley Motta lost 29 cents in closing at $5.95 with the swapping of 2,480 units, Sterling Investments gained 20 cents to end at $3.30 with an exchange of 172,032 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments finished 23 cents higher at $15.43 in transferring 21,885 stocks and Wisynco Group shed 77 cents to close at $15.10 with an exchange of 179,935 units.
Trading ended with six securities changing hands, compared to seven on Wednesday, with one stock rising, four declining and one remaining unchanged.
At the close, First Rock Capital lost 0.01 of a cent to end at 8.49 US cents in exchanging 10,088 stocks, Margaritaville fell half a cent to close at 9 US cents after an exchange of 345,474 stock units, Productive Business Solutions closed unchanghed at US$1.01, with the trading of 54 stock units. Proven Investments rose 0.3 of a cent to end at 26.3 US cents with an exchange of 435,121 units, Sygnus Credit Investments declined 0.06 of a cent to close at 15.9 US cents after 43,172 stocks crossed the market and Transjamaican Highway fell 0.01 of a cent to 0.84 US cents while exchanging 200,000 units.
Guardian Holdings advanced 18 cents to $32.50 after 24,047 shares crossed the exchange, JMMB Group settled at $1.81 in trading 2,080 stock units, Massy Holdings advanced $1.25 to end at $69.76, exchanging 27 stocks. National Flour Mills traded 1,020 shares at $2.30, NCB Financial Group increased 25 cents to $8.75, with 49,992 units clearing the market, Prestige Holding remained at $6.55, with an exchange of 1,332 shares. Trinidad & Tobago NGL declined 11 cents to $17.73 in trading 3,005 units, Unilever Caribbean lost 1 cent in closing at $16.32 with an exchange of 4,605 units and West Indian Tobacco increased 3 cents to $32.51 after exchanging 95,070 stocks.
Arrivals for January to March decreased 72 percent, with 161,275 stopovers, 412,856 less than 574,131 in 2020.
The increase in exports helps to trim the trade gap for goods along with a decline in imports for January this year.
Market activity resulted in 36 securities changing hands, compared to 38 on Tuesday, with 17 rising, seven declining and eight closing unchanged.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ending with bids closing higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Lumber Depot increased by 15 cents to end at $3.40 with 333,743 units traded, Mailpac Group lost 6 cents to close at $3.75 with 235,899 stock units changing hands, Main Event dropped 30 cents to $4 with investors switching ownership of 133,079 stocks. SSL Venture gained 8 cents to settle at 63 cents with 4,746 units traded and Tropical Battery rose 6 cents to $1.22 with 1,175,768 shares crossing the exchange.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 16 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
Palace Amusement dropped $20 to $910 in switching ownership of 219 stocks, Pan Jam Investment advanced $2.95 to $67.95 after trading 1,139 units, Scotia Group gained 20 cents in ending at $40 with 133,171 stocks crossing the market, Seprod lost 59 cents to finish at $73 in exchanging 10,376 stock units. Stanley Motta gained 24 cents in closing at $6.24 after exchanging 17,000 units, Sterling Investments 
Seven securities changed hands, compared to eight on Tuesday, with one stock rising, five declining and one remaining unchanged.
Margaritaville lost 0.49 of a cent to end at 9.5 US cents while trading 2,000 stock units. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy declined 15 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of 95 US cents trading 307 units. Proven Investments declined half a cent to 26 US cents after exchanging 48,212 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments increased 0.96 of a cent to 15.96 US cents, with 3,415 shares changing hands and Transjamaican Highway dropped 0.1 of a cent to 0.85 of a US cent with an exchange of 300,009 shares.
Trinis missing the salient points
Another Trinidad company (Massy Holdings) is set to list on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on the basis that the sophistication and growth opportunities are evident in the Jamaican securities market that has become increasingly more dynamic over the past few years.
They may be right about the Jamaican capital market, but they are missing the real issues. The stock prices of listed companies in T&T Stock Exchange have been priced out of the reach of the average Trinidadians and the directors don’t seem to understand that or worse seem to care about the smaller investors. Guardian Holdings with 232,024,923 million shares issued and Massy with nearly 98 million shares will just not have the liquidity to trade frequently in good volumes in either the Trinidad or Jamaican market. Unfortunately, those are not the only companies in that market that are so affected. The companies need to have the issued number of shares increased. for decent trading in the Jamaican market around two to three billion issued shares will be an appropriate level.
The other factor is the need to put the companies on a growth path for profits that investors can have confidence in acquiring and holding the shares. The weakness in this area of profitability, is not the sole purview of the companies, as the government has a role to play in this.
Guardian Holdings hit 52 weeks high on TTSE.
The evidence is crystal clear, investors love stock splits and they help move stock prices as investors buy up shares they previously ignore for being overpriced. This has been without a doubt the clear case in the Jamaican market. For years PanJam Investments directors resisted recommending to shareholders the splitting of the company’s stocks but relented a few years ago, with the stock price that was stagnant for years coming to life and rewarded shareholders with much higher value afterward. It is therefore difficult to understand why directors, with the evidence so clear, want to have elevated stock prices and limited liquidity of their stock. Last year Apple and Tesla sand split their stocks to much investors acclaim, just this week Nvidia Corporation in the USA, with the price jumping after announcing a four for one split.