Stocks enjoyed a bullish session on Thursday, with rising stocks dominating trading after an 88 percent increase the volume of stocks traded valued 182 percent more than on Wednesday at the close of the Junior Market activity.
Market activity led to 40 securities trading compared to 38 on Wednesday and ended with the prices of 21 stocks rising, 12 declining and seven closing unchanged.
The Market Index recovered half of the losses of the past two days in closing 21.52 points higher for the day and settled at 3,349.23. The PE Ratio, a measure that determines an appropriate relative value of each stock, averaged 12.9 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings forecast.
At the close a total of 9,383,807 shares traded for $40,616,428 up from 4,997,502 units at $14,398,973 on Wednesday.
Dolphin Cove led trading with 16.9 percent of total volume, after exchanging 1.59 million shares followed by Mailpac Group 16.4 percent, with 1.54 million units, Jamaican Teas 14.9 percent, with an exchange of 1.40 million units and Future Energy Source accounted for 14.3 percent, with 1.34 million units changing hands.
Trading averaged 234,595 units at $1,015,411 in contrast to 131,513 at $378,920 on Wednesday. Trading month to date, ended with an average of 221,939 units at $628,682, compared to 221,140 units at $604,278 on Wednesday. May ended with an average of 318,089 units at $760,337.
The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial climbed 45 cents to $20.54 with the trading of 7,003 shares, AMG Packaging gained 15 cents to end at $1.70 with an exchange of 425 stock units, Blue Power rallied 14 cents to $3.75 with 20,900 units traded. CAC 2000 jumped $1.37 to $10.52 with a transfer of 291 stocks, Caribbean Cream dropped 33 cents to $5.45 with 172,293 shares passing through the market, Caribbean Producers fell 15 cents to $4.10 trading 357,194 stock units. Consolidated Bakeries fell 8 cents to $1.70, with an exchange of 31,700 units, Elite Diagnostic advanced 19 cents to $3.19 with 100 stocks traded, Express Catering slipped 5 cents to $5.95 with a transfer of 2,982 shares. Future Energy Source rose 5 cents to a record closing high of $1.13, with investors swapping 1,338,473 stock units, Honey Bun popped 24 cents to $6.94 with 483,662 units changing hands, Indies Pharma advanced 23 cents to $3.50 with an exchange of 293,970 stocks. ISP Finance shed $4.31 to $15.51 with 204 shares traded, Jetcon Corporation rallied 27 cents to $1.48 with a transfer of 199 stock units, Lasco Distributors popped 20 cents to $4.30, with 268,644 units passing through the market. 
Lasco Financial gained 13 cents to finish at $3.35 with 45,330 stocks changing hands, Limners and Bards rose 7 cents to $3.13 with 37,230 shares traded, Lumber Depot slipped 6 cents to $3.27 with a transfer of 153,063 stock units. Mailpac Group lost 5 cents to end at $3.90 with investors trading 1,539,082 units, Main Event popped 43 cents to $5.43 with 16,609 stocks changing hands and Paramount Trading fell 7 cents to a 52 weeks’ low of $1.15 with 875 shares crossing the exchange.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dipped 361.17 points to 472,867.87, the JSE Main Index fell 704.18 points to 435,628.41 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.54 points to 108.64.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has ten stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Sterling Investments gained 19 cents to end at $3 in switching ownership of 15,954 stocks, Supreme Ventures advanced $1.74 to $19.39 with 37,373 stock units changing hands.
Market activity led to 38 securities trading compared to 40 on Tuesday and ended with 16 rising, 18 declining and four ending unchanged, resulting in the Market Index slipping 8.84 points to 3,327.71 for a second straight day of decline.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eight stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Lumber Depot lost 4 cents to close at $3.33 in an exchange of 129,259 shares, Mailpac Group gained 12 cents to close at $3.95 after trading 853,883 stock units, Main Event shed 35 cents to settle at $5 with an exchange of 46,090 units. Medical Disposables fell 39 cents to end at $4.61 with 17,104 shares changing hands, Stationery and Office Supplies lost 5 cents to end at $7.55, with 3,152 stocks crossing the market, Tropical Battery gained 5 cents to close at $1.42 after an exchange of 199,735 shares and tTech rose 4 cents to $4.79 in trading 1,011 stocks.
Market activity led to 40 securities trading, up from 35 on Monday, with prices of 14 rising, 18 declining and eight ending unchanged.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
Medical Disposables spiked 49 cents to finish at $5 with an exchange of 591 shares, Stationery and Office Supplies dropped 40 cents to $7.60 with investors switching ownership of 7,500 stocks, Tropical Battery rose 6 cents to $1.37, with 331,978 units traded and tTech gained 5 cents to close at $4.75 with 5,298 stock units crossing the exchange.
Trading ended with 51 securities versus 52 on Monday, with 16 stocks rising, 25 declining and 10 remaining unchanged.
At the close, Barita Investments shed 55 cents ending at $82.40 in switching ownership of 30,405 shares, Caribbean Cement rose $1.20 to end at $95 with 14,582 stocks crossing the market, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund rallied $4 to $42 after exchanging 654 units, Grace Kennedy ended 55 cents lower at $99.45 with the swapping of 149,969 shares. Guardian Holdings declined $5.02 in closing at the lowest point since listing locally at $719.99 in exchanging 19,385 stocks, Jamaica Broilers rose $1 to $36 in trading 74,092 units, JMMB Group lost 25 cents to finish at $38.50 with the swapping of 1,337,495 shares, Kingston Properties rallied 32 cents to $10.07 in trading 150 stock units. Kingston Wharves fell $1.45 to $46.50 with 5,086 units changing hands, Mayberry Investments shed 40 cents to settle at $5.60 with the swapping of 1,408 stock units. NCB Financial declined $1.18 to $143.53 with 19,656 shares crossing the market, Pan Jam Investment spiked 60 cents to $68.60 in switching ownership of 8,581 shares. Portland JSX declined $1.32 to end at $8.18 with an exchange of 3,500 stocks, Proven Investments popped $1.45 to $36.48 in trading 12,686 stock units, Sagicor Group gained 55 cents to end at $63.05 in transferring 403,583 shares. 
Sagicor Real Estate Fund shed 48 cents in closing at $8.32 in an exchange of 5,008 stocks, Scotia Group rose 95 cents to $41.95 with 10,552 stocks crossing the market, Seprod closed 50 cents lower at $74.50 after exchanging 8,923 units and Supreme Ventures fell $1.85 to $17.65 in trading 79,972 stock units.
Salaries and staff costs fell from $2.7 billion in the 2020 quarter to $2.49 billion and six months from $5.45 billion to $5.05 billion. Total operating expenses ended down at $5.59 billion from $5.88 billion and for the half year, cost rose from $13 billion to $13.36 billion.
Stockholders’ Equity rose to $118.4 billion from $112.4 billion at the end of April 2020. Deposits by the public grew to $361 billion from $334 billion at the close of April 2020 and Investment Securities remained at $145 billion as of April, similar to the same time last year, while cash resources jumped from $92 billion at the end of April 2020 to $136 billion at the end of the latest quarter, but down from $141 billion at the end of October last year.
Similar to Friday, 35 securities traded, ending with 16 stocks rising, eight declining and 11 closing unchanged, but price changes were modest in many cases.
Trading averaged 97,355 units at $304,059 compared to 1,174,685 at $2,105,675 on Friday. The month to date averaged 235,506 units at $638,781, compared to 244,787 units at $661,267 on Friday. May closed with an average of 318,089 units at $760,337.
Limners and Bards lost 11 cents to finish at $3.05 with 141,212 shares changing hands, Lumber Depot advanced 11 cents to $3.40 with a transfer of 619,517 stocks, Mailpac Group gained 10 cents to settle at $3.80 with 566,352 shares traded and Tropical Battery slipped 5 cents to $1.31 with 634,705 stocks crossing the exchange.
Trading ended with 52 securities compared to 56 on Friday, with 22 stocks rising, 26 declining and four remaining unchanged.
Trading averaged 126,379 units at $1,270,816, compared to 171,179 shares at $1,497,797 on Friday. Trading month to date averages 249,510 units at $4,445,708, in contrast to 258,696 units at $4,682,573 on Friday. May ended with an average of 439,937 units at $4,698,961.
Pan Jam Investment fell $1 to $68 after 13,115 shares crossed the market, Proven Investments fell $1.87 to $35.03 with 14,943 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Group slipped $1 to $62.50 in exchanging 47,781 shares after trading at a 52 weeks’ high of $68. Sagicor Real Estate Fund rose 48 cents to $8.80 in trading 1,742 units, Scotia Group shed $1 to end at $41 in switching ownership of 2,691 stocks. Seprod popped $1 higher at $75 in exchanging 10,899 stock units, Supreme Ventures declined $1.58 to $19.50 with a transfer of 248,201 shares and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 20 cents to close at $15.20 with 47,134 stock units crossing the market.
At the close, the JSE Main Index jumped 3,056.20 points to 437,322.11 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.00 points to end at 109.15.
Caribbean Cement rallied $3.80 to $94 with 19,468 stocks crossing the exchange, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dropped $5.94 to settle at $36.01 in exchanging 739 shares. Grace Kennedy slipped 50 cents to close at $99.46 after a transfer of 31,523 stock units, Guardian Holdings ended $4 lower at $745 with the swapping of 2,390 units, Jamaica Producers lost 45 cents in closing at $24 in switching ownership of 5,788 stocks. Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 24 cents to end at $17.25 with 1,603 units clearing the market, JMMB Group shed 5 cents in ending at $38.45 while exchanging 101,132 stocks, after trading at an intraday 52 weeks’ high of $38.85, Kingston Properties dived 93 cents to $10.07 in exchanging 233 stocks. Kingston Wharves climbed 89 cents to $46.50, with a transfer of 13,291 stock units, Margaritaville fell 65 cents to $14.10 after exchanging 58 stocks, Mayberry Jamaican Equities dropped $1.04 to $8.51 in trading 4,028 units, NCB Financial Group shed 99 cents at $147 with 74,276 shares changing hands, Palace Amusement dipped $5 to $1,165 after 139 stock units crossed the market. Pan Jam Investment shed 70 cents to close at $69 with the swapping of 1,164 stocks, Portland JSX advanced $2.38 to $9.50 in transferring 2,000 shares, Sagicor Group climbed $9.84 to finish at $63.50 with an exchange of 37,269 stock units. Sagicor Real Estate Fund shed 73 cents to close at $8.32 with the swapping of 25,410 shares, Salada Foods rose 45 cents to end at $8.50 in an exchange of 33,109 stocks, Seprod advanced $1.70 to close at $74 in trading 3,331 stock units. 
Supreme Ventures gained 28 cents to end at $21.08 with 251,994 shares changing hands and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 21 cents to close at $15 after an exchange of 49,877 stocks.
At the close, the Junior Market Index rose 12.12 points to settle at 3,367.03 to be up 39 points for the week as the market seems to be moving steadily away from the downward pull of resistance, just below 3,300. The PE Ratio, a measure that compares the relative value of each stock, averages 13 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings forecast.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with lower offers.
Lasco Distributors gained 8 cents to close at $4.10 with a transfer of 627,504 shares, Lasco Financial lost 15 cents to end at $3.07 in exchanging 116,562 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing fell 4 cents to $5.41 with 233,487 stock units crossing the market. Lumber Depot gained 10 cents to $3.29 with 509,063 shares changing hands, Stationery and Office Supplies shed 90 cents to close at $7.98 with the swapping of 70,956 stock units and tTech lost 10 cents to end at $4.70 after exchanging 6,072 units.
