The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Thursday, with the market squeezing out a small gain after more stocks rose than decline with a hefty 154 percent more shares trading than Wednesday.
Trading ended with 31 securities changing hands compared to 35 on Wednesday and ended with the prices of 15 stocks rising, the prices of 10 declining and six, with remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index carved out a gain of 3.26 points to close at 2,457.36. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.1 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 4,265,667 shares for $9,982,025 compared to 1,678,856 units at $4,184,920 on Wednesday. MailPac Group led trading with 3.52 million shares for 82.9 percent of total volume, followed by Limners and Bards with 374,097 units for 8.8 percent of the day’s trade and Lasco Distributors with just 51,906 units for 1.2 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 137,142 units at $322,001 in contrast to 47,967 at $119,569 on Wednesday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in an exchange of 90,508 units at $260,932, in comparison to 67,920 units at $231,351 on Wednesday. Trading in August resulted in an average of 104,426 units at $321,996 trading.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and seven with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial gained 6 cents to end at $20.96, in exchanging 1,003 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 6 cents to close at $1.94, trading 1,000 units, Caribbean Cream rose 55 cents to $4.75, with 4,000 units changing hands. Caribbean Flavours shed 33 cents in transferring 12,648 stock units at $18, Caribbean Producers finished 9 cents higher at $2.40, with 4,750 stock units clearing the market, Dolphin Cove slid 99 cents to a 52 weeks’ low of $5.51, after trading 46,554 shares. Elite Diagnostic ended at $3.05, with a loss of 40 cents, with 400 units changing hands, Express Catering closed 15 cents higher at $3.50, after transferring 2,000 stock units, Fontana slipped 4 cents to $4.71, in exchanging 22,926 stock units. Fosrich picked up 10 cents to end at $3.90, with investors swapping 500 units, General Accident lost 8 cents to end at $6.40 in trading 4,000 units, Honey Bun gained 30 cents, ending at $5.10 as investors swapped 5,006 units. 
Indies Pharma gained 19 cents and ended at $2.84, with and 14,008 stock units clearing the market, ISP Finance climbed $2 in closing at $15 in transferring 1,000 units, Jamaican Teas rose 63 cents to close at $4.69, after an exchange of 3,000 units. Jetcon Corporation slipped 4 cents to 80 cents trading 9,510 stock units, Knutsford Express finished 10 cents higher at $6.90, with a transfer of 3,649 shares, Lasco Distributors carved out a gain of 10 cents to close at $3.10, with 51,906 shares crossing the market. Lasco Financial gained 2 cents to settle at $2.15, in trading 51,250 shares, Lasco Manufacturing lost 18 cents to end $3.61 after exchanging 6,000 units, Limners and Bards shed 12 cents in closing at $2.61, while trading 374,097 shares. Lumber Depot gained 6 cents to end at $1.05, with a transfer of 4,511 units, MailPac Group closed at $2, with a gain of 1 cent in trading 3,522,281 shares, Main Event rose 30 cents to end at $3.70, in exchanging 100 units and tTech shed 60 cents to settle at $5.50 with investors swapping 40,849 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading ended with 35 securities changing hands compared to 29 on Tuesday and ended with the prices of 13 stocks rising, 15 declining and seven remaining unchanged.
At the close of the market, Access Financial gained 9 cents to end at $20.90, with 500 shares crossing the market, AMG Packaging lost 15 cents to close at $1.56 trading 3,100 stock units, Cargo Handlers shed 55 cents to settle at $6 while exchanging 7,493 units. Caribbean Cream lost 30 cents in ending at $4.20 with investors switching ownership of 26,646 shares, Caribbean Flavours climbed 74 cents to $18.33, in exchanging 14,174 stocks, Caribbean Producers lost 9 cents in closing at $2.31 and transferring 183,684 shares. Derrimon Trading gained 20 cents to end at $2.50, after exchanging 9,200 units, Elite Diagnostic rose 44 cents to $3.45 and clearing the market with 389 shares, Everything Fresh picked up 3 cents to end at 70 cents after exchanging 100 units. Express Catering shed 59 cents to settle at $3.35 trading 50,224 shares, Fontana lost 4 cents to finish at $4.75, with 137,591 shares passing through the market, Fosrich lost 20 cents and closed at $3.80 with 16,501 stock units crossing the market. General Accident closed 41 cents higher at $6.48, in exchanging 26,026 stock units, Honey Bun ended at $4.80, with a loss of 30 cents and 22,155 stock units crossing the market, iCreate slipped 2 cents to 68 cents trading 13,646 stock units. 
Indies Pharma shed 14 cents to end at $2.65 trading 14,764 shares, Iron Rock Insurance lost 25 cents to close at $2.90 with investors switching ownership of 6,225 units, ISP Finance rose $1 to settle at $13, with 902 units passing through the market. Jamaican Teas dropped 54 cents to $4.06, after clearing the market with 42,687 shares, Jetcon Corporation gained 4 cents to finish at 84 cents, in transferring 605,400 stocks, KLE Group gained 6 cents to end at $1.42, after trading 5,000 units. Knutsford Express lost 10 cents to close at $6.80, with 4,308 units crossing the market, Lasco Financial shed 1 cent to close at $2.13, in trading 67,204 shares, Lasco Manufacturing gained 19 cents and ended at $3.79, with an exchange of 34,639 shares. Limners and Bards carved out a gain of 3 cents after ending at $2.73 and a transfer of 30,260 stock units, MailPac Group lost 1 cent to end at $1.99 with investors swapping 50,600 shares. Medical Disposables rose 22 cents to finish at $4.89 trading 7,305 stocks and Stationery and Office Supplies gained 5 cents to settle at $5.65 with investors swapping 9,846 units.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index gained 884.00 points to close at 399,279.64, the Main Index advanced 900.71 points to 364,390.65 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.27 points to close at 96.22.
The average trade for the month to date is 210,813 units at $957,419 for each security. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
Jamaica Producers Group advanced to $22, with gains of $2 and 32,899 shares changing hands, Key Insurance lost 34 cents to end at $7.21, with 5,536 stock units changing hands. Kingston Properties climbed $1.52 and ended at $7.69, in trading 4,282 stock units, Kingston Wharves rose $2 to settle at $44 with investors swapping 9,554 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed $2.50 to end at $138.50, in trading 58,879 shares. PanJam Investment rose $2.50 to settle at $69, after exchanging 955 units, Seprod gained 50 cents in ending at $54.50, with 7,685 stock units passing through the market and Wisynco Group picked up 50 cents to close at $16.50 and 77,995 shares changing hands.
Bank of Jamaica placed on sale through their B-FXITT Flash sale mechanism, US$20 million on Tuesday, with the results suggesting exhaustion of the speculative bubble. The sale was the first on record when the demand was less than the amount offered by the central bank since they started this method of intervention three years ago.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 7,335.15 points to 398,395.64, the Main Index declined by 6,792.78 points to 363,489.94 and the JSE Financial Index shed 1.74 points to close at 95.95.
Trading in August averaged 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
Key Insurance gained 34 cents, to close at $7.55 with an exchange of 5,417 stock units, Kingston Properties fell by $1.03 to $6.17, with 2,407 units changing hands. Kingston Wharves dropped $8 after trading 28,483 stock units to close at $42, NCB Financial Group declined by $4 to $136, after exchanging 24,762 stocks, Palace Amusement fell $200 to end at $1,500, with a transfer of 13 units. PanJam Investment fell $4.50 to $66.50 while trading 314 shares, Proven Investments shed $1.99 to close at $36 with an exchange of 6,896 stock units, Sagicor Group finished at $44, after losing $2.42 and the transferring of 48,477 shares. Scotia Group declined by $3.49 to settle at $47 in trading 26,079 stock units and Seprod gained 50 cents to end at $54, with 1,477 units changing hands.
Trading ended with 29 securities changing hands compared to 33 on Monday and ended with the prices of eight stocks rising, the prices of 12 declining and nine with prices remaining unchanged.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Express Catering climbed 48 cents to settle at $3.94 with 115,504 stocks changing hands, Fosrich gained 20 cents and traded 100,750 stock units to close at $4, General Accident lost 3 cents to settle at $6.07 with investors transferring ownership of 15,589 stocks. Honey Bun gained 20 cents to finish at $5.10 with an exchange of 42,823 stock units, ISP Finance shed $2.59 to close at $12 with 841 shares traded, Jamaican Teas declined 10 cents to end at $4.60 with 34,457 units changing hands. Lasco Distributors fell 1 cent to $3 with investors switching ownership of 315,000 stocks, Lasco Financial slipped 1 cent to close at $2.14 with an exchange of 20,600 shares, Limners and Bards rose 1 cent to settle at $2.70 with 135,880 stocks changing hands. Lumber Depot lost 1 cent to finish at 99 cents, with 184,359 units traded and tTech advanced by 70 cents to end at $6.10 with 12,467 units crossing the exchange.
At the close of the market, Access Financial advanced $6.02 to $26.10 in an exchange of 10,056 shares, AMG Packaging gained 3 cents to end at $1.73 with 28,100 stock units changing hands, Blue Power closed at $3.20, after losing 5 cents and exchanging 15,500 shares. Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 1 cent to finish at $2.08, in trading 6,818 units, Caribbean Cream ended at $3.90, with a loss of 7 cents in exchanging 9,780 units. Caribbean Flavours shed 50 cents, in falling to $17.50 with investors swapping 26,783 stock units, Caribbean Producers fell 1 cent to $2.44 and clearing the market with 22,090 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries slipped 1 cent to settle at $1.35 in exchanging 35,000 shares. Elite Diagnostic gained 1 cent to close at $3.01 while exchanging 24,431 units, Express Catering dropped 48 cents to settle at $3.46 in trading 199,371 shares, Fontana declined 20 cents to $4.79 after exchanging 74,757 stock units. General Accident shed 50 cents to close at $6.10 with 210,110 shares crossing the market, iCreate gained 5 cents to close at 70 cents after trading 210,000 shares, Iron Rock Insurance rose 30 cents in closing at $3.15, with investors switching ownership of 2,000 units. Jamaican Teas carved out a gain of 20 cents in ending at $4.70, with 11,034 stock units changing hands, Jetcon Corporation ended 5 cents higher at 80 cents, in transferring 3,500 stock units, Knutsford Express closed at $6.90, with gains of 5 cents trading 19,911 stock units. Lasco Distributors lost 18 cents to end at $3.01 after exchanging 39,926 shares, Lasco Financial gained 6 cents to end at $2.15 in an exchange of 49,500 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing finished 9 cents higher at $3.60, with 8,900 stock units crossing the market.
Limners and Bards carved out a gain of 13 cents to end at $2.69 while exchanging 4,888 stock units, Lumber Depot lost 5 cents in closing at $1 while trading 17,125 stocks, MailPac Group declined 2 cents to $2, after exchanging 1,258,085 shares. Medical Disposables fell 23 cents to $4.67, with a transfer of 7,653 stock units, Paramount Trading shed 18 cents to settle at $1.52, in an exchange of 10,200 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies dropped 20 cents to settle at $5.60 after trading 46,175 stock units and tTech lost 1 cent to end at $5.40 with investors swapping 3,112 stocks.
The average trade for the month to date ended at 497,441 units at $3,201,934 for each security, in contrast to 491,213 units at $3,153,576. Trading for the month to date is well ahead of July, which closed with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
Key Insurance lost 39 cents to settle at $7.21, with 8,947 units changing hands, NCB Financial Group carved out a gain of $2 to close at $140 with investors swapping 637,827 shares. PanJam Investment advanced $5.90 to $71, after exchanging 5,950 stock units, Proven Investments rose $1.99 to settle at $37.99, in 2,802 units changing hands. Sagicor Group finished $2.42 higher at $46.42, with an exchange of 275,545 shares, Scotia Group climbed $3.49 to $50.49, in exchanging 29,922 stock units, Seprod shed $1.50 to close at $53.50, having traded 15,713 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments rose 35 cents to close at $15.35 with 128,320 shares passing through the market and Wisynco Group lost 50 cents to close at $16 and 200,997 shares changing hands.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Jetcon Corporation lost 9 ents, in ending at 75 cents and clearing the market with 76,129 shares, Lasco Distributors lost 1 cent to close at $3.19, with 50,892 shares changing hands, Lasco Financial finished at $2.09, after slipping 7 cents and exchanging 287,275 shares. Lasco Manufacturing shed 9 cents to end at $3.51, with a transfer of 314,834 shares, Limners and Bards settled at $2.56, having lost 4 cents trading 22,468 stock units, Lumber Depot gained 5 cents to end at $1.05 with investors swapping 244,122 shares. Mailpac Group picked up 2 cents to finish at $2.02, trading 128,728 stock units and Medical Disposables lost 5 cents to close at $4.90 in an exchange of 10,810 units.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 861.11 points to 401,049.51, the Main Index shed 775.38 points to settle at 366,050.38 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.43 points to close at 96.33.
QWI Investments traded 2.55 million units accounting for 4.3 percent of Main Market volume and Sagicor Select Financial Fund ended trading, with 2.39 million shares and 4 percent of the volume.
Jamaica Stock Exchange climbed $1.75 to settle at $19.28, after exchanging 4,688 stock units, JMMB Group shed 47 cents and closed at $29.53 with a transfer of 118,347 shares, Mayberry Investments ended 68 cents lower at $5.32, after exchanging 1,250 units. NCB Financial Group rose $1.99 to settle at $138, with 168,962 shares changing hands, PanJam Investment dropped $5.90, in closing at $65.10 as investors swapped 2,754 units, Portland JSX rose 62 cents to finish at $8.50, with investors switching ownership of 7,519 stock units. Proven Investments ended at $36, after losing 50 cents, with an exchange of 566 units, Sagicor Group fell $1 to $44, in trading 19,418 shares, Seprod carved out a gain of $1 to end at $55, with an exchange of 46,826 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments lost 60 cents to close at $15, with investors trading 63,968 units and Victoria Mutual Investments closed 30 cents lower to end at $6.60, with 41,506 shares changing hands.
