Atlantic Hardware grabs 41 percent of Junior Market trades on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Thursday, but the stocks rose by only one cent on a day when investors stayed away from wide spread trading, resulting in a 17 percent decline in the volume of stocks traded, with a marginally higher value than Wednesday. Similar to Wednesday, just 43 securities were exchanged, with prices of just 10 rising, 21 declining and 12 closing unchanged.
The market closed with trading of 9,466,427 shares for $15,868,946 after slipping from 11,395,083 units valued $15,244,152 on the previous day.
Trading averaged 220,149 shares at $369,045, dipping from 265,002 stocks at $354,515 on Wednesday, with the month to date, averaging 216,418 units at $321,660, up from 216,113 stock units at $317,787 on the previous day, compared with October, with an average of 191,865 shares at $349,252.
Atlantic Hardware led trading with 3.89 million shares for 41.1 percent of total volume, followed by Jamaican Teas, ending with 1.48 million units for 15.6 percent of the day’s trade and Future Energy with 540,094 stock units for 5.7 percent of the volume traded.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index slipped 34.11 points to finish at 3,347.73. The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 11.9, based on the last traded price, in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2026.
At the close of the market, Access Financial dropped by $3.44 and ended at $16 with 18,207 shares passing through the exchange, AMG Packaging fell 10 cents to $2.29 after a transfer of 5,268 units, Blue Power sank 19 cents to close at $3.40 and closed with 7,332 shares changing hands. Cargo Handlers increased $2.27 to end at $15.10 after 60 stocks passed through the exchange, Consolidated Bakeries fell 32 cents in closing at $1.53, with traders switching ownership of 800 stocks, Dolla Financial fell 10 cents to finish at $2.40 with an exchange of 451,058 units. Dolphin Cove slipped 20 cents to $12 with 16,982 stocks clearing the market, Elite Diagnostic lost 8 cents in closing at $1.50 with investors trading 108,458 shares, Honey Bun popped 12 cents to close at $7.50 after trading at a 52 week intraday low of $6.27, with investors transferring 100,700 stock units through the market. 
Iron Rock Insurance shed 52 cents to finish at a 52 weeks low of $2.96 after an exchange of 900 shares, Lasco Financial rallied 8 cents and ended at $1.95 with 45,272 units changing hands, Main Event declined $1.19 to end at a 52 weeks low of $5.05 in an exchange of 12,766 stocks. Medical Disposables rose 18 cents in closing at $1.69 after investors traded 10,016 stock units and Paramount Trading declined by 7 cents to close trading at $1.23 with an exchange of 2,506 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.