Some aggressive price movements push JSE Main Market higher at the close of trading on Friday as investors seem to be putting the recent sharp sell-off behind them. In the end, Caribbean Cement jumped $4, Grace Kennedy $2, NCB Financial $2, Sagicor group $4.20, Scotia Group $3.50 and Seprod $2.The market ended, with the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index advanced 10,583.06 points to 394,457.50, the JSE Market Index climbed 9,599.14 points to 359,682.96 and the JSE Financial Index rose 3.61 points to 98.72.
The market closed with 46 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 24 stocks advancing, 12 declining and ten securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 41 securities accounting for 23,098,105 units valued at $104,845,950 in contrast to 276,324,388 units valued at $742,100,927 from 39 securities on Thursday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 9.7 million shares for 41.8 percent of total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 7.2 million units for 31.2 percent of the day’s trade, and Trans Jamaican Highway US$ with 2.1 million units for 9.2 percent of the market’s volume. The only other stock trading more than one million units is Pulse Investments, with 1.2 million units.
The Market closed with an average of 563,368 units valued at $2,557,218 for each security traded, in contrast to 7,085,241 units valued at an average of $19,028,229 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 1,166,767 units valued at $7,327,128 for each security changing hands compared to 1,197,347 units valued at 7,209,844 for each security traded. Trading in February resulted in an average of 624,731 units valued at $3,239,665 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eleven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two stocks closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 15, while the Main Market ended at 14 times 2019 earnings.
In the Main Market trading, Barita Investments declined $1.50 to $51, trading 482,153 shares, Caribbean Cement climbed $4 higher to $49, with an exchange of 46,494 units, Eppley gained $1.71 to close at $12.21, with a transfer of 574 stock units. First Rock Capital slipped 60 cents to $9.50, after swapping 11,797 shares, Grace Kennedy added $2.30 to finish at $56.50, with 95,953 shares changing hands, Jamaica Broilers gained $1 and closed at $29, after trading 13,934 units. JMMB Group picked up $1.12 to finish at $35.45, with an exchange of 279,114 shares, Mayberry Jamaican Equities added 40 cents after 75,312 shares passed through the market to end at $7, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy sustained a loss of $12 to end at $135, with a mere 20 units crossing the exchange. NCB Financial Group closed $2 higher at $154, in trading 41,906 shares, 138 Student Living shed 81 cents to end at $4.69 exchanging 6,216 units, Portland JSX closed $1.60 lower to $7.30 after transferring just 416 units. Proven Investments ended at $35, after falling by $1 in trading 19,278 shares, Sagicor Group jumped $4.20 to $46.60, with 70,977 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Real Estate Fund fell 82 cents to $6.60 with the transfer of 5,774 units. Scotia Group climbed $3.50 to finish at $47.50 and trading 77,214 shares, Seprod added $2 to end at $39, with an exchange of 41,696 shares, Sterling Investments picked up 30 cents to close at $2.80, in transferring 1,300 units. Victoria Mutual Investments ended at $6.54, with gains of 48 cents and exchanging 160,790 shares and Wisynco Group closed at $13.30, with a loss of 70 cents after 558,494 shares crossed the exchange.
Prices of securities trading are those for the day’s last transaction unless otherwise stated.