Biden appoints Jamaican to economic council

Dr C Kirabo Jackson

President Biden announced his intent to appoint Dr C. Kirabo Jackson to be a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers. Jackson an American-born Jamaican whose father Dr. Clement Jackson was head of the Planning Institute of Jamaica in the 1980s is the Abraham Harris Professor of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. He is also a Professor of Economics, a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research, and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Jackson also attended Hillel in Kingston, Jamaica in his early formative years.
Currently, Jackson serves as the Editor-In-Chief of the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy. He was previously Co-Editor for the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy and the Journal of Human Resources. Jackson earned his Bachelor’s in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University and obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University. His research interests include labour economics, public finance, and applied econometrics, with a focus on the economics of education. His research has explored the role of teachers in the K-12 system, the causal impact of public-school spending on students, methods to measure impacts on students’ socio-emotional skills, and other education-related subjects.
His work has been published in the highest-impact economics journals, including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Journal of Political Economy, the Review of Economic Studies, the American Economic Review: Insights, the Review of Economics and Statistics, the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, and the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. His research findings have garnered attention from numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Bloomberg, and others.
In 2020, Jackson was elected to the National Academy of Education and received the David N. Kershaw Award from the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management in recognition of his contributions to the field of public policy analysis and management. In 2022, Jackson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an honour that celebrates excellence and leadership across various disciplines and practices.

More gains for JSE Main Market

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market closed higher for a second consecutive day on Friday, with the volume of stocks changing hands climbing 42 percent and the value 41 percent lower than on Thursday, with 58 securities trading compared with 52 on Thursday, with 26 rising, 19 declining and 13 ending unchanged.
A total of 17,423,772 shares were exchanged for $113,062,974 versus 12,158,165 units at $187,080,964 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 300,410 shares at $1,949,362  compared with 233,811 units at $3,597,711 on Thursday and month to date, an average of 308,048 stocks at $2,115,819, compared with 308,619 units at $2,128,260 on the previous day. Trading in June closed with an average of 366,795 units at $6,952,581, including trading in bonds.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 5.75 million shares for 33.3 percent of total volume, followed by JMMB Group 7.35% – 2028 with 2.57 million units for 14.9 percent of the day’s trade, Sagicor Select Financial Fund ended with 2.53 million units for 14.6 percent market share, QWI Investments controlled 1.46 million units for 8.4 percent of the market and Wigton Windfarm with 1.40 million units for 8.1 percent of total volume.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rallied 91.12 points to 362,517.50, the JSE Main Index rose 906.61 points to 327,867.62 and the JSE Financial Index dipped 0.08 points to 72.77.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.1 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are calculated based on the last traded prices and earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending up to August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows seven stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments rallied $1.50 and ended at $76 after trading 57,195 shares, First Rock Real Estate fell $1.45 in closing at $9, with 3,400 stock units clearing the market, Guardian Holdings climbed $4 to $455 as investors exchanged 849 units, Jamaica Broilers gained 47 cents to end at $35 with a transfer of 22,072 stocks. Jamaica Stock Exchange dipped $1.21 to close at $10.22 in an exchange of 36,696 stock units, JMMB Group dropped 30 cents in closing at $28.90 in trading 28,280 stocks, Kingston Wharves popped 31 cents and ended at $29.80 after an exchange of 21,223 shares, Margaritaville advanced 40 cents to $15 after an exchange of 54 units. Massy Holdings declined 50 cents to end at $98.50, with 5,272 stock units crossing the market, Mayberry Jamaican Equities rose 40 cents to close at $11.90 and closed after 2,505 stocks changed hands, NCB Financial increased $2.49 to end at $74.99 in switching ownership of 709,089 units, 138 Student Living advanced 65 cents to close at $4.65 with an exchange of 111,931 shares. Pan Jamaica shed $1.35 in closing at $49 with stakeholders exchanging 50,625 shares, Proven Investments increased $1.25 to $23.25 in an exchange of 1,228 stocks, Scotia Group rose 70 cents to $33.75, with 204,253 units crossing the market, Seprod climbed $2.10 to $74.10 with investors transferring 3,139 stock units. Supreme Ventures rallied 49 cents to close at $27.49 after a transfer of 208,004 stock units, Sygnus Credit Investments lost 83 cents to end at $11.17 with shareholders swapping 146,619 units, Victoria Mutual Investments gained 37 cents in closing at $3.37, with 56,404 stocks changing hands and Wisynco Group popped 30 cents to end at $18 with 50,440 shares crossing the exchange.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.50% preference share rallied 91 cents in closing at $6.12, as 3,056 units passed through the market, Jamaica Public Service 7% dipped $1 to $70 while exchanging 1,022 stocks. JMMB Group 7.25% due 2024 preference share fell 30 cents and ended at $1.70 with investors transferring 208,689 shares and 138 Student Living preference share rose $13.39 to close at $102.63 in trading one stock unit.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

 

Inflation in Jamaica rises in June

Inflation in Jamaica climbed by one percent in June over May, fueled by a spike in food prices, furnishings, household equipment and routine housekeeping and restaurant and accommodation services that rose 4.2 percent.
Inflation for the past two months is slightly higher than the same period in 2022, with June this year being partially pushed by the sharp increase in the minimum wage.
Point to point inflation rose from 6.1 percent in May to 6.3 percent, while the fiscal year inflation to date ended at 1.6 percent to June or 4.8 percent per annum if the current rate were to continue to March 2024.

Value of stocks traded surged on the JSE

Trading surged for a second consecutive day on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday, with the volume of stocks trading declining but resulted in a higher value than on Tuesday following GraceKennedy trading 3.76 million shares for $291 million, NCB Financial ended with 3 million shares for $204 million and ScotiaGroup with 4.85 million shares for $164 million as trading ended with the Junior and JSEUSD markets rising at the close and the Main Market declining even as with Transjamaican Highway and Wigton Windfarm continues to hit new 52 weeks’ highs.
At the close of the market, the JSE Combined Market Index fell 1,534.67 points to 340,641.18, the All Jamaican Composite Index declined 1,105.39 points to close at 360,982.14, the JSE Main Index dropped 1,861.20 points at 327,139.32, the Junior Market Index climbed 22.06 points to 3,866.96, while the JSE USD Market Index gained 1.89 points to close at 240.02.
Preference shares with notable price movements but are not in the Main Market TOP10 graphs are Eppley 7.25% preference share recovered the $2.85 it lost on Tuesday in closing at $19 and Jamaica Public Service 7% shed $1.99 in closing at $50.01.
At the close, investors exchanged 41,085,482 shares in all three markets on Tuesday compared to 60,867,391 shares on Tuesday. The value of stocks trading in the Junior and main markets was $752.6 million, up sharply from $609.18 million on Tuesday. Trading on the JSE USD market resulted in investors exchanging 289,060 shares for US$34,073 compared to 132,703 units at US$3,992 on Tuesday. The market’s PE ratio ended at 18.3 on 2022-23 earnings and 11.3 times those for 2023-24 at the close of trading. Investors need pertinent data to successfully navigate numerous investment options in the local stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making. Investors should use the chart to help make rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and put in on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and shows companies grouped on an industry basis, allowing easy comparisons between the same sector companies and the overall market.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide to assess the value of stocks based on this measure quickly. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends paid or payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts along with the closing volume pertaining to the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.
The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2021 and 2022 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items. The PE Ratio is the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks.

Big Transjamaican & Kingston Wharves’ trades

Transjamaican Highway led trading with 26.28 million shares controlling 48.4 percent of the total volume, followed by Kingston Wharves with 17.71 million units for 32.6 percent of the day’s trade as trading activity surged sharply over Monday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Tuesday, with the volume of stocks traded rising 387 percent and the value 744 percent more than on Monday.
Trading occurred in 56 securities compared with 62 on Monday and ended with prices of 27 rising, 22 declining and seven unchanged as three stocks hit 52 weeks’ high and two 52 weeks’ low, stocks trading at 52 weeks’ high are Transjamaican closing at a record of $2.21, Sagicor Select MD  at 70 cents and Wigton Windfarms at 87 cents while Barita closed at a 52 weeks’ low of $73.95 and Eppley 7.25 Preference Share at $16.15.
At the close of trading, 54,343,616 shares were traded for $593,158,740, compared with 11,158,702 units at $70,313,195 on Monday.
Trading averaged 970,422 shares at $10,592,120 versus  179,979 shares at $1,134,084 on Monday and month to date, an average of 329,517 units at $5,231,512, compared with 250,636 units at $4,571,744 on the previous day. May closed with an average of 226,361 units at $1,362,447.
Other than Transjamaican Highway and Kingston Wharves that dominated trading, other leading trades are 138 Student Living ended with 2.11 million units for 3.9 percent market share, Wigton Windfarm with 2.08 million units for 3.8 percent market share, QWI Investments with 2.05 million units for 3.8 percent market share and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.92 million units for 3.5 percent of total volume.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rallied 810.40 points to 362,087.53, the JSE Main Index rose 469.12 points to 329,000.52 and the JSE Financial Index popped 0.13 points to close trading at 73.88.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last traded prices and earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending up to August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows ten stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Berger Paints declined 57 cents to end at $7.10, with 985 shares clearing the market, Eppley popped $4.69 to $36.80 while exchanging 317 units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dipped $1 to $40 in switching ownership of 100 stock units, First Rock Real Estate increased 48 cents to close at $10.49 with shareholders swapping 920 stocks, GraceKennedy advanced 40 cents in closing at $78.90 with investors transferring 40,608 stocks, Jamaica Broilers rallied $1.26 to end at $34.76 with an exchange of 44,648 stock units, Kingston Wharves dropped $1.50 to close at $28 17,706,722 shares crossing the market, Margaritaville shed 34 cents to end at $14.63 in an exchange of 12,057 units, Massy Holdings fell 43 cents to close at $99.57 in an exchange of 1,962 shares, Mayberry Investments gained 46 cents and ended at $9 after a transfer of 119,549 units, NCB Financial climbed 50 cents to end at $68 in trading 16,338 stock units, 138 Student Living lost 51 cents to close at $5, with 2,114,160 stocks changing hands, Pan Jamaica Group rose $1.88 to $49.99, with 906 shares crossing the market,Sagicor Group popped 45 cents to $48.95 as investors exchanged 100,393 stocks, Scotia Group rallied $1.10 in closing at $34.70 after an exchange of 91,334 stock units, Seprod shed $2.40 to end at $70 with a transfer of 482 units, Stanley Motta advanced 36 cents and ended at $5.44 after exchanging 33,521 shares, Sterling Investments slipped 39 cents to $2.50 after 6,196 stocks passed through the market, Supreme Ventures increased $2.19 to close at $26.69 trading 52,974 units.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.25% preference share declined $2.85 in closing at $16.15 with 50 stock units changed hands, Eppley 7.50% preference share climbed $1.19 to end at $7.39, with 220 units crossing the exchange, Jamaica Public Service 7% gained $2 in closing at $52 after a transfer of 200 stock units, Jamaica Public Service 9.5% fell $22 to close at $2978, with six shares crossing the market, 138 Student Living preference share rose $6.99 and ended at $87.99 in switching ownership of 7 stocks and Productive Business Solutions 9.75% preference share dipped $14.50 to $91.50 in trading seven units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.

All JSE Market drop on Monday

The markets closed lower on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Monday with trading volume and value falling bellows Friday’s levels and providing limited support to the market’s prices.
The JSE Combined Market Index fell 633.59 points to 347,152.65, the All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 1,262.06 points to 369,455.98, the JSE Main Index fell 279.16 points to 335,318.38, the Junior Market Index fell 40.76 points to 3,744.57 and the JSE USD Market Index slipped 3.96 points to 234.26.
Shares in the preference segment of the Main Market not included in the TOP10 graphs ended with Jamaica Public Service 7% falling $11.78 to close at $66.72.
At the close, investors exchanged 20,210,036 shares in all three markets, down from 29,251,124 18 units on Friday, with the value of stocks trading amounting to $83.8 million down from $94.5 million on Friday. Trading on the JSE USD market resulted in investors exchanging 144,256 shares for US$3,922 compared to 112,013 units at US$25,887 on Friday.
The market’s PE ratio ended at 18.6 on 2022-23 earnings and 11.4 times those for 2023-24 at the close of trading.
Investors need pertinent information to successfully navigate numerous investment options in the local stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
Investors should use the chart to help make rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and put in on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange and shows companies grouped on an industry basis, allowing easy comparisons between the same sector companies and the overall market.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide to assess the value of stocks based on this measure quickly. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends paid or payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts along with the closing volume pertaining to the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.
The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2021 and 2022 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items. The PE Ratio is the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks.

Remittances to Jamaica rise

Remittance inflows into Jamaica continue to be resilient, matching the 2022 inflows up to March, with total inflows of $301.4 million this year, some US$6.6 million or 2.2 percent more than was collected in March 2022.
From January to March 2023, inflows of remittances to Jamaica amount to US$800.4 million, an increase of 0.9 percent compared with the January to March 2022 with US$793.2 million.
Barring any unusual developments, the country is on track to match the U$3.44 billion in total inflows generated in 2022.
According to the data released by the Bank of Jamaica, remittances for 2022, although marginally down on a per capita basis to $1.147.4 from $US1,176 in 2021, inflows are once more below the inflows for tourism for the first time since 2020 and were 181 percent of total export earnings in 2022 and down from 236 percent in 2021.

More declines for Jamaican stock markets

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main and Junior Markets rose at the close of trading on Friday, but the USD market slipped lower with the volume and value of stocks traded falling compared with trading on Thursday.
At the close of trading, JPS 7% preference shares jumped $50 to an unrealistic record high of $$00 after investors exchanged 1,295 shares, with an exchange of 16,410,081 shares in all three markets, compared with 43,111,953 units, with a value of $82.4 million, in contrast to $101.4 million on the previous trading day. JSE USD market closed with investors trading 273,362 shares for US$7,044 compared to just 21,983,490 units at US$1.63 million on Thursday.
The JSE Combined Market Index climbed 1,499.50 points to close at 334,072.41, the All Jamaican Composite Index rose 861.71 points to 363,092.98, the JSE Main Index rallied 1,262.43 points to 322,420.29, the Junior Market gained 34.78 to end at 3,629.45 and the JSE USD Market Index fell 1.66 points to close at 215.70.
The market’s PE ratio ended at 18.2 based on 2021-22 earnings and 11.7 times those for 2022-23 at the close of trading.
Investors need pertinent information to successfully navigate many investment options in the local stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
Investors should use the chart to help make rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and put in on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The ICInsider.com PE Ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. It shows companies grouped on an industry basis, allowing easy comparisons between the same sector companies and the overall market.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide to assess the value of stocks based on this measure quickly. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts that also show the closing volume pertaining to the bids and offers for each company.
The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2021 and 2022 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items. The PE Ratio is the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks.

Surge in Monday trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange

Trading surged sharply on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Monday but prices softened in the JSE USD market and the JSE Main Market suffered while the Junior Market popped a few points by the close.
At the close of trading, 33,504,090 shares were traded in all three markets, from 22,972,502 units, with a value of $250.45 million, up from $109.5 million on the previous trading day. Trading on the JSE USD market resulted in investors exchanging 88,737 shares for a mere US$48,455 compared to 86,809 units at US$1,115 on Friday.
The JSE Combined Market Index popped 705.24 points to 341,823.54, the All Jamaican Composite Index lost 745.02 points in ending at 372,176.69, the JSE Main Index fell 1,581.47 points to close at 328,859.80, the Junior Market dropped 11.64 points to 3,817.91 and the JSE USD Market Index plunged 21.45 points to end at 188.34 and follows a 20 points drop on Thursday and Friday.
The market’s PE ratio ended at 19 based on 2021-22 earnings and 12.3 times those for 2022-23 at the close of trading.
Investors need pertinent information to successfully navigate many investment options in the local stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
Investors should use the chart to help make rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and put in on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The ICInsider.com PE Ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. It shows companies grouped on an industry basis, allowing easy comparisons between the same sector companies and the overall market.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide to assess the value of stocks based on this measure quickly. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts that also show the closing volume pertaining to the bids and offers for each company.
The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2021 and 2022 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items. The PE Ratio is the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks.

Trading jumps as JSE markets fall

The total amount of funds entering the Jamaica Stock Exchange markets surged on Thursday over Wednesday but the Main and Junior markets suffered declines after opening up in the morning sessions but the JSE USD market inched higher.  
At the close of market action Palace Amusement surged to a record high of $3,250 after posting a gain of $350 as trading on the market ended with an exchange of 29,715,470 shares down from 44,186,085 units on Wednesday, with a value of $285.4 million from a mere $71.79 million on the previous day. Trading on the JSE USD market resulted in investors exchanging US$36,261 versus US$3,947 on Wednesday.
At the close, the Combined Market Index dropped 2,149.90 points to 351,278.98, the All Jamaican Composite Index lost 3,148.60 points to close at 383,016.56, the JSE Main Market Index declined 1,743.19 points to 338,349.97, the Junior Market dived 56.62 points to 3,884.06 and the JSE US dollar market popped 0.37 points to close at 199.46.
The market’s PE ratio ended at 22.2 based on 2021-22 earnings and 13.8 times those for 2022-23 at the close of trading.
Investors need pertinent information to successfully navigate many investment options in the local stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
Investors should use the chart to help make rational investment decisions by investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and put in on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The ICInsider.com PE Ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. It shows companies grouped on an industry basis, allowing easy comparisons between the same sector companies and the overall market.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide to assess the value of stocks based on this measure quickly. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices. Dividends payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts that show the closing volume for the bids and offers.
The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2021 and 2022 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items. The PE Ratio is the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks.