Big gain for Junior Market Index

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed higher on Friday, despite more stocks falling than rising as investors traded 80 percent more shares carrying 91 percent more value than on Thursday.
Trading ended with 35 securities changing hands, up from 34 on  Thursday and finished with 13 stocks rising, the prices of 15 declining and seven with prices remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index carved out a gain of 29.75 points to settle at 2,539.03. The average PE Ratio ended at 11.4 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Trading closed with 3,359,001 shares for $7,739,063 versus 1,860,954 units at $4,046,985 on Thursday. Mailpac Group led trading with 20.6 percent of total volume with a transfer of 690,324 shares, followed by Tropical Battery with 17.9 percent for 601,792 stock units and Limners and Bards with 11 percent market share for 369,298 units.
Trading ended with an average of 95,971 units at $221,116 compared to 54,734 at $119,029 on Thursday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in an exchange of 135,342 units at  $292,963, compared to 145,781 units at $312,014on Thursday. October closed with an average of 230,868 units trading at $535,509.
At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging lost 13 cents to settle at $1.46 with 84,210 shares changing hands, Blue Power gained 22 cents to end at $3.47, trading 2,020 shares, Cargo Handlers jumped $1.45 to finish at $7.75 with an exchange of just five stock units. Caribbean Assurance Brokers closed 7 cents lower at $1.83 with 7,702 stocks passing through the market, Caribbean Cream dropped 61 cents to settle at $4.09 with a transfer of 49,376 stocks, Caribbean Flavours advanced 17 cents to end at $1.73 with an exchange of 22,908 stocks. Derrimon Trading rose 5 cents to finish at  $2.45 with 10,150 stocks passing through the market, Dolphin Cove gained 1 cent and closed at $7 after and trading 437 shares, Everything Fresh slipped 1 cent to 74 cents with investors switching ownership of 52,621 stock units. Express Catering climbed 47 cents to end at $3.77 with 33 shares changing hands, Fosrich fell 24 cents to end at $3.69 with an exchange of 13,800 units, General Accident advanced 30 cents to finish at $6.50 with 15,826 shares passing through the market. GWest Corporation lost 1 cent to settle at 88 cents with 100 shares traded,  Indies Pharma gained 10 cents to close at $2.60 in the transfer of 16,575 stocks, Iron Rock Insurance dropped 20 cents to end at $3 with 17,544 stock units changing hands. Jetcon Corporation dipped 5 cents to finish at 75 cents after exchanging 74,587 stocks, Knutsford Express fell 11 cents to $6.69 with 329 shares passing through the market, Lasco Distributors increased 1 cent to close at $3.15 trading of 67,623 stock units. Lasco Financial lost 10 cents to end at $2.60 with 344,300 stock units changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing rose 5 cents to finish at $3.75 with a transfer of 17,883 shares, Limners and Bards dipped 1 cent and exchanged 369,298 stocks to settle at $2.50. Lumber Depot slipped 3 cents to close at $1.27 with 142,641 stock units passing through the market, Mailpac Group gained 1 cent, trading 690,324 shares to end at $2, Main Event fell 1 cent to finish at $2.99 with 1,000 stocks changing hands. Paramount Trading shed 30 cents to settle at $1.60 with investors transferring 97,894 stocks, Tropical Battery lost 3 cents to close at $1.21 with 601,792 shares traded and tTech jumped $2.60 to end at $6.70 with 40 units crossing the exchange.
In the preference segment, CAC 2000 rose 2 cents to finish at 99 cents, with 3,218 stocks changing hands.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.