Big fall for Junior Market

Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Wednesday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 39 percent and the value 27 percent lower than on Tuesday following trading activity in 39 securities compared with 47 on Tuesday and ended with prices 14 rising, 17 declining and eight closing unchanged as the market gave back all of the year end gains from Friday and more, but it still held on the majority of last weeks’ Thursday 50 points gains as the Junior Market Index dived 79.45 points to end the day at 3,762.30.
Investors traded 5,922,564 shares for $13,058,153 compared with 9,655,336 units at $17,937,572 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 151,861 shares at $334,824 compared to 205,433 units at $381,650 on Tuesday with the month to date, averaging 181,138 units at $360,415 compared with trading in December with an average of 466,866 units at $1,111,272.
Lasco Financial led trading with 2.96 million shares for 49.9 percent of total volume followed by AMG Packaging with 557,050 units for 9.4 percent of the day’s trade and One Great Studio with 492,557 units for 8.3 percent market share.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.5, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial fell $2.29 to close at $25.20 in an exchange of 42 stock units, AMG Packaging surged $1.50 to a 52 weeks’ closing high of $3.90 after investors ended trading 557,050 shares, Blue Power shed 40 cents in closing at $2.67 with an exchange of 999 units. Cargo Handlers declined $1.84 and ended at $13.08, with 301 stocks clearing the market, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 10 cents to end at $2.15 with a transfer of 471 units, Fosrich sank 11 cents to $2.30 after exchanging 313,872 stocks. Indies Pharma rose 17 cents to close at $2.92 in trading 20 shares, Jamaican Teas dipped 32 cents and ended at $2.27, with 24,377 stocks crossing the exchange, Lasco Manufacturing shed 14 cents in closing at $4.50 with investors transferring 1,946 shares. Lumber Depot climbed 26 cents to end at $2.65 in exchange of 502 units, Main Event increased $1.20 in closing at $14.34 with investors dealing in 1,640 stocks, Paramount Trading skidded 33 cents to $1.32 while trading 7,293 stock units and Spur Tree Spices popped 21 cents to close at $2.57 with 52,780 shares changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.