Stocks trading started out with spirited early movements on Friday taking the market up by 2,978 points at 8 minutes into the trading session to sit just below the mid-March close, but the market slipped thereafter, with All Jamaican Composite Index hanging to 1,524.26 points to settle at 448,121.05, the JSE Main Index rose up by 1,331.40 points at 408,023.02 and the JSE Financial Index climbed 0.47 points to settle at 100.39, with the majority of price movements ending in favour of falling stocks.
Trading ended with 53 securities compared to 45 on Thursday and ended with 13 rising, 22 declining and 18 remaining unchanged. The PE Ratio, based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings, averages 16.5.
Trading ended with an exchange of 82 percent more shares valued 77 percent higher than on Thursday as 16,976,414 shares for $141,423,527 compared to 9,318,055 units at $79,985,841 on Thursday. JMMB Group 7.5% preference share led trading with 40.6 percent of total volume for an exchange of 6.88 million shares followed by Wigton Windfarm with 14.8 percent for 2.5 million units, Jamaica Broilers 10.8 percent, with 1.83 million units and Transjamaican Highway with 6.1 percent for 1.04 million units changing hands.
Trading averaged 320,310 units at $2,668,368, compared to an average of 207,068 shares at $1,777,463 on Thursday. Month to date trading averages 234,200 units at $1,772, 561, in contrast to 229,207 units at $1,720,616 on Thursday. March averaged 354,304 units at $2,543,232.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has seven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Caribbean Cement fell $1.25 in closing at $88 with 91,088 shares changing hands, Carreras gained 36 cents to end at $9.95 after clearing the market with 257,861 units. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dipped 26 cents to end at $40.74 with 1,691 stocks crossing the market. First Rock Capital advanced $1.55 to $17.45 in an exchange of 122,961 units, Jamaica Broilers declined $2.50 to $28.50 with the swapping of 1,830,085 shares, Jamaica Producers shed 45 cents to close at $28 after 8,381 stock units crossed the exchange. Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 20 cents to finish at $17.95 in trading 40,396 shares, Key Insurance closed 33 cents lower at $5.61 with 248,172 units changing hands, Kingston Properties rose $1.12 to end at $8.57 in clearing the market with 1,743 stocks. Margaritaville declined $1.10 to settle at a 52 weeks’ low of $21 in the transfer of 15,002 units, Mayberry Jamaican Equities gained 40 cents to close at $7.95 in exchanging 17,902 shares. NCB Financial Group fell $1 to $139 with the swapping of 63,842 units, Palace Amusement dropped $70 to close at $880 in trading 5 shares, Pan Jam Investment shed $1 to end at $64 in switching ownership of 9,466 units. 
Proven Investments closed 23 cents lower at $37.77 in an exchange of 6,043 shares, Sagicor Group advanced $2.50 to $52.50 with 139,229 units changing hands. Salada Foods ended 41 cents higher at a 52 weeks’ high of $7.41 in an exchange of 137,535 shares, Stanley Motta shed 50 cents to close at $5.90, with 19,000 stocks crossing the exchange, Supreme Ventures closed 52 cents lower at $17.47 with a transfer of 419,230 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments fell 58 cents to finish at $6.82 in exchanging 233,240 units.
In the preference segment, Productive Business Solutions 9.75% preference share dropped 99 cents to close at $109.51 in switching ownership of 99 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading averaged 1,053,952 units at $3,445,628 in contrast to 384,151 at $562,530 on Thursday. Trading month to date averaged 329,241 units at $854,716, compared to 287,738 units at $706,338 on Thursday. March closed with an average of 252,633 units at $733,196.
Jetcon Corporation lost 5 cents at 85 cents with a transfer of 1,000 shares, Knutsford Express shed 17 cents to end at $8.60 with investors switching ownership of 42,421 stocks, Limners and Bards ended 8 cents higher at $2.80 with an exchange of 153,020 shares, Lumber Depot gained 14 cents to close at a record high of $2.94 in trading 1,161,602 shares. Main Event declined 70 cents to end at $3.50 with 30,502,293 units changing hands, Medical Disposables rose 24 cents to close at $4.43 trading 2,123 units and tTech gained 8 cents to end at $4.58 in switching ownership of 200 stocks.
Traded ended with almost twice the number of stocks rising than declining, after 28 percent fewer shares with a 71 percent loss in value traded compared to Wednesday.
Trading averaged 207,068 units at $1,777,463, compared to an average of 249,560 shares at $5,280,650 on Wednesday. Month to date trading averages 229,207 units at $1,720,616, in contrast to 230,354 units at $1,717,673 on Wednesday. March averaged 354,304 units at $2,543,232.
Pulse Investments closed 28 cents higher at $4.36 after 395,700 stock units crossed the exchange, Salada Foods dipped 35 cents to $7 with an exchange of 359,341 units. Scotia Group fell $1 in ending at $42 in the swapping of 36,344 stocks, Supreme Ventures rose $1.04 to close at $17.99 with investors switching ownership of 62,609 shares and Victoria Mutual Investments rose 90 cents to end at $7.40 with 126,599 stock units clearing the market.
Fesco led trading with 77.5 percent of total volume after an exchange of 10.12 million shares and was followed by 
Trading averaged 384,151 units $562,530 compared to 450,273 at $951,624 on Wednesday. Trading month to date averaged 287,738 units at $706,338, compared to 282,671 units at $713,895 on Wednesday. March averaged 252,633 units at $733,196.
Limners and Bards slipped 8 cents to $2.72 with 114,579 units traded, Lumber Depot advanced 22 cents to a record close of $2.80 with an exchange of 674,611 stocks, Mailpac Group gained by 11 cents to settle at $3.61 with 563,991 shares passing through the market. Main Event fell 50 cents to finish at $4.20 with 21,073 units changing hands, Paramount Trading fell 9 cents to $1.31 with a transfer of 23,100 stock units and Stationery and Office Supplies shed 67 cents to close at $5.70 with 1,035 shares crossing the exchange.
The strong quarterly performance follows an excellent December 2020 quarter when profit jumped sharply to $962 million from $310 million in 2019.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rose 937.30 points to 444,368.73, the JSE Main Index advanced 882.22 points to 404,765.12 and the JSE Financial Index remained unchanged at 100.37.
Trading averaged 249,560 units at $5,280,650, compared to an average of 209,290 shares at $1,133,757 on Tuesday. Month to date trading averages 230,354 units at $1,717,673, in contrast to 229,131 units at $1,490,898 on Tuesday. March averaged 354,304 units at $2,543,232.
Salada Foods jumped 85 cents ending at a 52 weeks’ high of $7.35 in switching ownership of 50,799 stocks. Seprod dropped $2.48 to end at $80.02 with 13,979 units changing hands, Stanley Motta rose 55 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $6.40 in transferring 1,008 stocks, Supreme Ventures ended 80 cents higher at $16.95 after trading of 147,975 shares and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 26 cents to close at $15.19 with 28,342 units crossing the market.
Following Fesco’s lead, Lasco Manufacturing chipped in with 1.79 million shares accounting for 10.7 percent of the day’s trade. Jamaican Teas garnered a 9.5 percent market share, with a transfer of 1.58 million units as the stock hit a record high ahead of second quarter results due in May and Tropical Battery ended with 1.45 million units changing hands, for 8.7 percent of the market.
The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Lasco Distributors increased 14 cents to $3.99 with a transfer of 34,686 stocks, Lasco Financial rose 9 cents to $2.99 with 8,711 shares passing through the market, Lasco Manufacturing dropped 45 cents to $4.80 with an exchange of 1,788,059 stock units. Lumber Depot gained 8 cents to close at $2.58 with investors switching ownership of 375,943 units, Main Event advanced 60 cents to settle at $4.70 with 3,000 stocks changing hands, SSL Venture rose 7 cents to 62 cents with 150,285 stock units traded. Stationery and Office Supplies jumped 77 cents to finish at $6.37 with a transfer of 33,573 units and tTech fell 10 cents to $4.50 with 510 shares crossing the exchange.
Appleton Estate rum is to be found all over the world and is one of the leading export brands dominating many overseas markets. A recent addition to the list is Worthy Park Estate rums. Last year rums brought in US$54.4 million dollars in export earnings, making it one of the country’s leading export items. The 2020 inflows were down 3 percent on exports of US$56 million in 2019, but it is up 38 percent from US$39.6 million earned in 2017. In 2018 exports of the prized product rose to $41 million. The good news is that the largest portion of rum exports are the higher value added brands rather than bulk rum that has far less value and contributes less to the local economy compared to the branded products.
