Caribbean Cream outlet in Kingston.
Caribbean Cream jumped into the Junior Market TOP 10 replacing tTech that reentered last week but enjoyed a bounce in price to be edged out for this week.
There was no new entrant to the main market list, even as that market recorded three days of record close during the shortened week. Market activity in the main market is pointing to a big break out for stock prices while the Junior Market is flexing to rise having hit a one year low in early December last year.
The most notable change was the $250 fall in the price of Palace Amusement down to $750 from $1,000 last week even as the big money making movie Black Panther continues to draw large crowds after nearly two months of showing and seems set to ensure that revenues and profit for the year to June is the highest by far in the company’s history.
Berger Paints made gains and Barita Investments slipped in price and swapped the top two positions by the end of the week. In the Junior Market, Jamaican Teas moved up to $5.30 from $4.75 at the end of the prior week but still sits in at number 4 on the list.
Caribbean Cream recorded strong revenues gain in the year to February but enjoyed lower profit up to November as input cost rose negated the revenues rise. A major part of the input cost well sharply in price since peaking in 2017 and should help restore gross profit margin going forward. 
This is one to be watched going forward along with Radio Jamaica where reports are that advertising picked up nicely for the March quarter, from a slow December quarter and may be pointing to improvement for 2018 onwards, with increasing economic activity taking place, leading to increased sales and profits for many of the advertisers.
At the close of Friday, the average PE ratio for Junior Market Top stocks ended at 6.2 compared to an average PE for the overall main market is 10 based on 2018 estimated earnings. The main market PE is 6.5 for the top stocks compared to a market average of 12.
IC Insider.com’s TOP 10 stocks now trade at an average discount of 38 percent to the average for the Junior Market Top stocks but it’s a third of what the average PE for the year is likely to be of 20 times earnings and main market stocks traded at a discount of 47 percent to the market.
At the close of Friday, the average PE ratio for Junior Market Top stocks ended at 6.5 compared to an average PE for the overall main market is 10 based on 2018 estimated earnings. The main market PE is 6.6 for the top stocks compared to a market average of 12.
that has languished just above the $30 level for months has broken into the $40 range and moved down to the second half of the list. The sharp price change follows an announcement that the company signed an agreement to buyback leased assets during this year. The buyback is set to save around $2 billion per annum before tax.
Revenues for the half year to December last year grew 11 percent to $493 million and profit rising 138 percent, continuing the normal annual growth. Revenues will hit the billion mark for the first time in the company’s history, for the current fiscal year and remain over that level going forward. The performance of the economy is critical to the future fortunes and to a lesser degree, the quality of films. Data shows that with tight economy, patronage in Kingston suffered badly with the fall in the economy from in 2008 onwards. At the same time strong growth said to be around 7 percent per annum in the Montego Bay economy, shows up in strong revenues gains there compared to Kingston. With the overall economy recovering, Palace is benefitting.
The group is expected to continue to enjoy increased earnings in 2018 and the focus on expansion of new projects will be beneficial to them going forward.
There were no entrants or exists from to the Junior Market TOP 10 list but 
It just a matter of time for the break out to take place, regardless the channel points upwards for the market. Profit results for 2018 first quarter, will be important in helping to fuel the break out but with Treasury bill rates falling to 3.16 percent on the 182 days instrument during the past week, an important leg for a rally to come, is in place.
At the same time the main market ended the week with a PE of 6.7 for the top stocks compared to a market average of close to 12.
The Junior Market continues to fight for the 2018 rally to take root and grow even as interest rates are at their lowest in decades. Technical reading of this market shows the short term 45 day moving average (DMA) has crossed over the 120 DMA, a bullish sign as the market is coming from an oversold position.
Going into the 2019 fiscal year it should be rid of most of the cost of that operations and therefore focus on the container boxes to meet the existing increased demand. Out goes Dolphin Cove with lower than projected earnings being reported for 2017, followed by Blue Power and tTech with lower results for 2017 than previously projected, that will likely negatively affect 2018 earnings for these companies.
The number one remains with 
Investors pushed 
SOS had acquired a building which was converted to a warehouse to allow for expansion of It’s offerings, this is now in use with some 6,000 square feet occupied. According to reports there are “lots of plans and expectations going forward for good business growth”. IC Indsider.com gathers that the December quarter that is normally the worse quarter for them due to the holidays, but the 2017 last quarter was the best quarter in the company’s history.
