Stocks continue to eke out moderate gains to put the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market up 3.6 percent for the year to date, (64 percent annualized) with the Market Index adding 14.59 points on Thursday to end at 2,738.19 after more stocks declined than those rising and 11 percent fewer shares valued 19 percent less than on Wednesday, traded.
Trading ended with 35 securities changing hands compared to 28 on Wednesday and closed with 12 rising, 16 declining and seven closed unchanged.
The average PE Ratio ended at 14.3 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with trading in 4,133,453 shares for $10,720,333 down from 4,652,136 units at $13,253,906 on Wednesday. Derrimon Trading led trading with 41 percent of total volume for 1.70 million shares followed by Jamaican Teas with 19.3 percent for 798,534 units and Mailpac Group with 11.1 percent market share for 457,156 stock units.
Trading averaged 118,099 units at $306,295, in contrast to 166,148 at $473,354 on Wednesday. Trading month to date averaged 223,589 units at $535,930, compared to 231,831 units at $553,870 on Wednesday. 
December averaged 263,428 units at $638,694.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Cargo Handlers lost 11 cents to close at $7.79, after exchanging 30 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers ended at $1.86, with gains of 6 cents trading 2,500 units, Caribbean Cream picked up 11 cents to settle at $4.70, after finishing with an exchange of 36,200 shares. Caribbean Flavours closed 10 cents higher at $1.70, with 98,614 stocks crossing the market, Caribbean Producers shed 21 cents to $2.61 after exchanging 77,524 stock units, Dolphin Cove finished at $8.50, with a loss of 26 cents in transferring 2,052 shares. Elite Diagnostic ended 13 cents lower at $2.72, with 5,905 stocks crossing the exchange, Everything Fresh lost 6 cents to end at 68 cents trading 11,393 shares, Express Catering gained 23 cents to close at $3.72, with 750 stock units changing hands. Fontana rose 10 cents to $5.70 after the swapping of 66,752 units, Jamaican Teas carved out a gain of 5 cents to a 52 weeks’ closing high of $2.90, trading 798,534 shares. 
Lasco Financial dropped 14 cents to $2.51 in exchanging 25,330 shares, Lasco Manufacturing slipped 18 cents to $3.72 trading 42,196 stock units, Limners and Bards lost 9 cents in closing at $2.61, with 44,572 shares crossing the market. Lumber Depot rose 22 cents to $1.93, in exchanging 153,241 stock units, Main Event added 24 cents to close at $3.24 trading 7,510 shares. Paramount Trading shed 14 cents to settle at $1.30, with 104,200 stocks crossing the exchange and Tropical Battery lost 6 cents to close at $1.04, with 316,244 shares changing hands.
In the preference segment, Derrimon Trading preference shares lost 6 cents to close at $2.04 trading 41,782 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
