Berger Paints traded at a 52 weeks’ high on Tuesday
At the close, the all Jamaica Composite Index surged 1,083.59 points to end at a new closing high of 187,498.00, the JSE Market Index climbed 968.92 points to a record close of 168,698.33 and the JSE combined index rose 248.82 points, to end at record high of 181,253.40, up 15 percent for the year to date.
At the close 10,379,971 units valued at $217,529,448 changed hands, compared to 1,637,080 units valued at $21,412,158 changing hands on Monday. The junior market accounted for 1,107,820 units valued at $$8,452,329 of the stocks traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 12 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 1 with a lower offer.In market activity, Berger Paints traded 12,700 shares and rose 10 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $5.70, Cable & Wireless closed at 98 cents with 132,932 units trading, Caribbean Cement traded 19,863 shares to close at $33. Carreras had 2,075 shares changing hands at $66, trading in 1834 Investments ended with 42,354 shares changing hands to close with a loss of 3 cents at $1.20, Grace Kennedy lost 46 cents and closed with 140,739 shares changing hands at $41.99, Jamaica Broilers traded 69,950 units but lost 45 cents to close at $14.31. Jamaica Producers lost 15 cents and ended with 9,464 shares changing hands to close at $8.25, Jamaica Stock Exchange fell 71 cents and ended at $27.30 while trading 3,435 shares,
JMMB Group dropped 50 cents in trading 165,027 units to close at $15, Kingston Wharves traded 900 shares to close at $17.50. Mayberry Investments traded 16,900 shares to close with a loss of 20 cents at $3.40, National Commercial Bank traded 9,273 shares and lost 15 cents to end at $42.15, Pan Jamaican Investments lost 30 cents to close at $23 after trading 880 shares. Radio Jamaica fell 10 cents in trading 184,584 shares to close at $1.45, Sagicor Group gained 15 cents in trading 7,146,264 shares to end at $24, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 14,041 shares to close at $10.18, Scotia Group dropped 49 cents to close at $30.01 with 635,978 shares changing hands. Scotia Investments had 3,000 units changing hands to close at $30, with a gain of $3, Seprod traded 14,003 shares to close with a gain of 90 cents at a 52 weeks’ high of $23.50. Proven Investments closed at 19.99 US cents with 176,589 shares trading, JMMB Group 7.50% preference share traded 442,000 units at $1.10 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.25% preference share traded 20,000 units at $2.40.
Trading activity, 
Jamaican Teas traded only 1,712 units but gained 10 cents to end at $4, Knutsford Express lost $1.20 with 2,000 units changing hands to end at $22, Lasco Distributors fell 89 cents with 203,221 units trading to close at $7. Lasco Financial ended with 347,939 shares changing hands at $3.20, Lasco Manufacturing lost 1 cents and closed at $4.99 with 28,330 shares trading, 
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 15 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
JMMB Group jumped 99 cents in trading 177,324 units to close at 52 weeks’ high of $15.51, Kingston Wharves traded 1,585 shares to close at $17.50. Mayberry Investments traded 200,000 shares to close at $3.60, National Commercial Bank traded 400 shares and rose 5 cents to end at $42.30, Pan Jamaican Investments lost 10 cents to close at $23.30 after trading 2,600 shares. Radio Jamaica fell 15 cents in trading 71,572 shares to close at $1.55, Sagicor Group traded 3,000 shares to end at $23.85, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 12,981 shares to close at $10.18, Scotia Group dropped $1.69 to close at $30.50 with 17,118 shares changing hands. Scotia Investments had 62,948 units changing hands to close at $30, with a gain of $3, Supreme Ventures traded 101,166 shares to close with a loss of 10 cents at $4.70 and Proven Investments closed at 19.99 US cents with 155,700 shares trading.
At the close, 2 securities traded, including one closing at new highs. Trading slipped from Friday’s levels, ending with 499,330 units changing hands, 48 percent lower than on Friday, while value traded, dropped 63 percent to $2,265,060 from $6,200,775, on Friday.
Derrimon Trading climbed 49 cents and closed with 96,209 units changing hands at $4, Honey Bun rose 10 cents in trading 38,789 shares at $6.20. Iron Rock traded 1,400 shares to close at $3.35, KLE Group ended at $1.89 with 35,435 shares changing hands after falling by 16 cents, Knutsford Express lost 80 cents with 939 units changing hands to end at $23.20, Lasco Distributors rose 39 cents with 7,865 units trading, at $7.89. Lasco Financial lost 2 cents and ended with 267,828 shares changing hands at $3.20, Lasco Manufacturing closed at $5 with 33,115 shares trading and tTech traded 7,300 with a loss of 15 cents to end at $4.85.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 11 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
National Commercial Bank traded 15,699 shares and rose 65 cents to end at $42.25, trading in 138 Student Living ended with shares trading with a gain of 20 cents at $4.70, Pan Jamaican Investments lost 10 cents to close at $23.40 after trading 17,780 shares. Radio Jamaica rose 5 cents in trading 10,000 shares to close at $1.70, Sagicor Group traded 115,109 shares to end at $23.85, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 19,374 shares to close at $10.18 with a rise of 6 cents, Scotia Group jumped $2.18 to close at $32.19 with 737,828 shares changing hands. Scotia Investments had 1,992 units changing hands to close at $27, with a fall of $3, Seprod traded 100,00 shares to close with a gain of 60 cents at a 52 weeks’ high of $22.60, Sterling Investments closed at a 52 weeks’ high of $15 with 9,889 shares trading, JMMB Group 7.50% preference share traded 53,00 units to end at $1.10.
Market activities ended with 4 securities closing with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 ending with lower offers.
Consolidated Bakeries traded 33,310 shares to close at $2.50, Derrimon Trading lost 9 cents and closed with 174,323 units changing hands at $3.51, Honey Bun traded 30,861 shares at $6.10. Jamaican Teas traded 16,761 shares to close at $3.90 after falling by 10 cents, Lasco Distributors lost 2 cents with 164,221 units trading, at $7.50, Lasco Financial ended with 10,000 shares changing hands at $3.22. Lasco Manufacturing closed at $5 with 20,000 shares trading, Paramount Trading closed with a gain of $2.50 at a 52 weeks’ high of $24.50 with only 150 shares changing hands and tTech traded 75,955 with a loss of 58 cents to end at $5.
The stock will be split 10 for 1 stock, effective October 22.
General Accident Insurance closed with 225,500 units changing hands at $2.65, Honey Bun traded 60,800 shares at $6.10. ISP Finance traded 51,809 shares and gained 39 cents, to close at an all-time high of $7, Jamaican Teas traded 7,145 shares to close at $4, Knutsford Express closed at $24 with 100 units, Lasco Distributors gained of 2 cents with 103,000 units traded, at $7.52, Lasco Financial lost 13 cents and ended with 126,185 shares changing hands at $3.22. Lasco Manufacturing closed at $5.10 with 27,584 shares trading and Paramount Trading closed with a gain of $2.50 at a 52 weeks’ high of $22 with 2,000 shares changing hands.
The Jamaican foreign exchange market responded on Thursday to the increasing net inflows into the system, by cutting the selling rates for all four major currencies, as the market delivered another day of surplus inflows. 
A total of US$18,393,384 was sold versus US$30,231,066 on Wednesday, with the selling rate sliding 9 cents to end at $128.28. The Canadian dollar buying rate rose 66 cents to $96.83, with dealers buying C$2,682,076 and selling C$2,434,616 at an average rate that fell 29 cents to $97.55. The average rate for buying the British Pound dropped $2.57 to $159.74 for the purchase of £1,072,168 while £516,828 was sold at a rate that dipped 83 cents to end at $163.19.
US Dollar to $127.95. The highest buying rate of the Canadian dollar rose $2.30 to $100.50, while the highest selling rate jumped $2.64 to $104.70 and the lowest selling rate dropped $1.70 to $92. The highest buying rate of the British Pound jumped $4.90 to $170.65, the lowest buying rate climbed $3.57 to $134.71, the highest selling rate surged $4.64 to $175.28 and the lowest selling rate rose $2.50 to $160.50. Trading in the Euro resulted in a rise in the highest buying rate of $3.50 to $145, the highest selling rate climbed $4.31 to $149.85 while there was a sharp fall in the lowest selling rate of $23.47 to $114.53.
Rigged is the best way to describe the Jamaican foreign exchange market. How else can one describe a market where supply is much greater than demand, yet the price keeps rising. What is happening in the foreign exchange market defies logic, and the law of demand and supply. 
Trading closed Wednesday with a surplus of US$11.5 million, as the Jamaican dollar lost ground against the United States dollar but gained against the others.
Highs & Lows| Changes to the highest and lowest traded rates for the US Dollar remained moderate on Wednesday. Notable changes to rates for the other regularly traded currencies in the foreign exchange market on Wednesday, include a fall of $3.96 in the highest buying rate of the Canadian dollar to $98.20, while the lowest selling rate jumped $5.70 to $93.70. The highest buying rate of the British Pound dropped $1.05 to $165.75 and the lowest buying rate dived $2.74 to $131.14, the highest selling rate dipped $3.56 to $170.64 and the lowest selling rate rose $1 to $158. Trading in the Euro resulted in a drop of $4.58 in the highest selling rate to $145.54 while there was a jump in the lowest selling rate of $3.20 to $138.