Rose Hall hotel a Sagicor Real Estate Fund, property. The stock closed at a new high on Wednesday.
The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange finished at another new record close of 304,331.28 for the all Jamaica Composite Index on Wednesday. The main and US dollar markets closed with 27 securities changing hands, of which 12 advanced and 5 declined.
In the main activity, Barita Investments closed at $8, with 720 units changing hands, Berger Paints settled 10 cents higher at $11.60, with 72,142 shares, Caribbean Cement finished at $27.50, with 700 units, Carreras settled with a loss of 40 cents at $11.50, with 456,367 stock units, Ciboney Group ended with a loss of 1 cent at $0.18, with 9,835 shares traded. Grace Kennedy ended 50 cents higher at $42.50, with 7,396 units, Jamaica Broilers closed trading 50 cents higher at $18.50, with 18,060 stock units, Jamaica Producers gained 40 cents to end at $16, with 13,000 shares traded, 
Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading with a loss of 5 cents at $7.20, with 4,000 units, JMMB Group finished trading at $27, with 180,823 units. Mayberry Investments finished trading 11 cents higher at $4.21, with 200 stock units, 1834 Investments concluded trading 10 cents higher at $1.35, with 3,110 units, PanJam Investment finished 60 cents higher at $38.60, with 485 shares, Portland JSX settled 25 cents higher at $9, with 4,760 units, Radio Jamaica ended trading at $1.15, with 688,353 stock units changing hands. Sagicor Group closed with a loss of $1.50 at $38.50, with 385,734 shares, 
Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed 75 cents higher at a 52 weeks’ closing high of $14, with 35,500 units, Scotia Group settled $1 higher at $53, trading 35,890 shares, Seprod exchanged 24,500 stock units at $30 nd Supreme Ventures ended trading at $12, with 33,492 stock units. In the main market preference segment, JMMB Group finished trading at $1.15, with 262,000 stock units, Sagicor Bank A preference share traded 1,350 units at $1.05 and the B share saw 9,000 units trading at $1.
In the US dollar market segment, JMMB Group 6% preference share finished at $1.10, with 10,000 shares Productivity Business traded 550 shares at 60 US cents, Proven Investments closed with 483,576 units trading at 23.5 US cents and Sterling Investments traded just 100 shares at a 52 weeks’ high of 12 US cents after rising 1 cent.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed trading on Wednesday with 16 securities changing hands, resulting in an exchange of 1,087,963 units valued at $5,258,148, which is much improved compared to 462,606 units valued at $2,337,749 on Tuesday. 
The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 76,123 units valued at $327,928, previously 71,470 units valued at an average of $327,875. In contrast, September closed with average of 116,176 units valued at $538,652 for each security traded.
General Accident ended at $3, with 705 units, Honey Bun settled 30 cents higher at $4.30, after trading 4,000 shares, Jamaican Teas settled at $4.10, with 122,528 units, Knutsford Express finished trading with a loss of 1 cent at $14.99, with 5,060 shares, Lasco Distributors ended trading at $6.30, with 11,761 shares, Lasco Financial finished with a loss of 5 cents at $4.20, with 19,763 shares, Lasco Manufacturing ended trading with a rise of 35 cents to $4.20, with 3,316 shares, Main Event closed with a loss of 15 cents at $5.15, with 6,653 stock units, Medical Disposables traded 14 cents higher at $4.74, with 1,071 units, Stationery and Office ended 3 cents higher at $4.83, after 692,137 shares changed hands, while tTech traded 5 cents higher at $7.05, with 14,031 units and in the junior market preference segment, Eppley concluded trading with a loss of 55 cents at $6, with 60,800 stock units.
The Jamaica dollar continued to trade below the $128 mark to buy one US dollar, in foreign exchange trading on Wednesday, for the second time since the close of 2016. 
Trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange finished at another record close on Wednesday, with 23 securities changing hands, 10 advanced, 4 declined and 6 traded firm.
Trading ended with an average of 142,884 units for an average of $3,108,721, in contrast to 204,741 units for an average of $3,108,721 Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 2,085,099 units valued at an average of $28,710,794 and 2,279,320 units valued at $31,266,958 previously. In contrast, September closed with average of 536,395 units at $1,905,441 for each security traded.
In moderate trading, the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, ended with only 15 securities changing hands, on Tuesday, with an exchange of a mere 462,606 units valued at $2,337,749, well down on Friday’s levels.
Trading ended with an average of 30,840 units for an average of $155,850 in contrast to 139,389 units for an average of $725,011 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 66,921 units valued at $302,510, previously. In contrast, September closed with average of 116,176 units valued at $538,652 for each security traded.
Caribbean Cream ended with a loss of 10 cents at $5.90, with 500 units, Consolidated Bakeries ended 3 cents higher at $2.05, with 250 units changing hands. Express Catering ended 19 cents higher at $4.69, with 1,706 stock units, Jetcon Corporation settled 40 cents higher at $4.90, with 220 stock units, Knutsford Express ended trading at $15, with 10,147 units trading, Lasco Distributors finished with a loss of 5 cents at $6.30, after 29,959 shares changed hands, Lasco Financial finished trading 25 cents higher at $4.25, with 1,891 units, Lasco Manufacturing gained 5 cents at $3.85, with 6,400 shares. Medical Disposables settled with a loss of 70 cents at $4.60, with 73,541 stock units, Stationery and Office closed 9 cents higher at $4.80, with 276,242 shares, tTech traded 1 cent higher at $7, with 21,000 units and in the junior market preference segment, Derrimon Trading traded 35,000 shares at $1.95, with Eppley ending trading at $6.55, with 5,100 stock units changing hands.
Guardian Holdings settled at $15.26, rising 1 cent with 103,061 shares valued at $1,572,711, JMMB Group advanced 10 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $1.60 with 24,600 shares, at the close the bid was at $1.60 to buy 5,400 units, there were no stock offered for sale and Trinidad & Tobago NGL traded 1 cent higher to $23.02 with 4,884 shares.
The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index continues to eat away at resistance around the 300,000 points levels, advancing by 2,135.19 points to close at 302,498.35 with the JSE Index following with a rise of 1,945.40 points to a record close of 275,610.21.
PanJam Investment lost 52 cents to end at $38, with 10,000 stock units, Portland JSX traded 25 cents higher at $8.75, with 5,000 units, Radio Jamaica closed at $1.15, with 2,500 shares, Sagicor Group traded 37,406 units with a gain of $1.49 to end at $40. Sagicor Real Estate Fund ended trading at $13.25, with 4,000 units, Scotia Group gained $1.02 higher to $52, with 9,271 shares and Supreme Ventures ended 15 cents higher at $12, with 51,500 stock units. In the main market preference segment, JMMB Group concluded trading at $1.15, with 747,717 stock units, and Sagicor Bank B preference share traded 9,000 units at $1and in the US dollar market segment, Proven Investments closed with 102,838 units trading at 20 US cents after slipping3.5 US cents.
The Jamaica dollar slipped below $128 to purchase one US dollar in foreign exchange trading on Tuesday for the first time since 2016. 
All Berger directors must go
Considering the very strong recommendations made by directors for shareholders to take up the offer, it would be logical if the investing public was informed about the results. Trading is taking place with investors being in the dark.
This is no way to run a capital market. The Stock Exchange has information but has so far done nothing to get investors promptly informed as to the status of the company remaining listed. The Financial Securities Commission that is there to protect investors seems completely dead. With directors putting out highly questionable information in support of their ill-advised recommendation to sell, these regulators left investors completely exposed to improper information.
IC Insider.com gathers that around 6 million units were surrendered by investors. What is known by this publication, is that the larger minority shareholders with more than 31 percent of the shares, were never influenced by the recommendation to accept the offer and did not sell. That left smaller investors who unfortunately have given up their chance to reap a huge pay day in 2018 when the price is likely to be in the $40-50 range. Very sad indeed.
The stock exchange needs to get information out to the public and fast. And while the Jamaica Stock Exchange should do so, the Trinidad and Tobago Exchange needs to do the same as the Ansa Coatings parent, is listed on that exchange and should be informing their shareholders of the outcome of the offer as well.
Apart from what would be expected of Ansa to advice of the added acquisition. Under the Jamaica Stock Exchange rules, each listed company is required to report connected party transactions. The directors’ recommendation stated that all directors who owned shares directly and their connected parties, as well as two senior managers intended to accept the offer, accounting for over 500,000 units. These are connected parties and Berger is required to inform the Stock Exchange of these transactions along with the major shareholder buying, as a part of insider trading information.
With such poor judgement, minority shareholders need to demand that all directors resign from the board with immediate effect as no confidence can be placed in them to protect the interest of minority. One hopes it does not get down to that and that all will resign forthwith without having to be pushed.