Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange market index slipped slightly on Wednesday as advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on a ratio of three to one and leaving the market with more highs and lows ahead.
First Citizens Bank hits new high and heading higher.
Trading closed with 14 securities changing hands, compared to 20 on Tuesday, with six gaining, two declining and the prices of six remaining unchanged.
The T&T Composite Index slipped 0.27 points to close at 1,500.67. The All T&T Index erased just 0.03 points to 1,907.99, while the Cross Listed Index edged 0.07 points lower to end at 148.12.
Trading resulted in an exchange of 886,493 shares, amounting to $11,155,264 compared to 81,749 shares valued at $3,862,184 on Tuesday.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the bids of six stocks higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Gains| First Citizens Bank added 15 cents and settled at a record high of $48.15, as investors continue to drive this undervalued stock higher, after exchanging 320 shares. At the close, traders had a bid to buy 5,884 shares at $48.20. First Caribbean International Bank traded 1,000 shares and rose 5 cents to close at $7.90. The stock ended with over 1.4 million units on offer at $7.90. JMMB Group gained 4 cents and ended at $2.74, with investors exchanging 32,199 stock units, National Flour rose 4 cents with 1,283 units changing hands at $1.49. 
One Caribbean Media added 5 cents in transferring 1,000 shares at $8 and Scotiabank ended trading with 18,091 units after rising 27 cents to $61.49.
Losses| NCB Financial lost 4 cents trading 799,112 stock units at $11.25 and Prestige Holdings swapped 385 shares and fell 5 cents to close at $8.90.
Firm Trades| Clico Investment closed at $28.48, with 8,484 units crossing the exchange, Grace Kennedy ended at $3.95, with investors exchanging 500 shares, Guardian Holdings traded 391 units and ended at $22. Point Lisas exchanged 100 shares at $3.55, Republic Financial closed at $142, after trading just 10 stock units, but it finished with a bid of $143 for a mere 15 shares on offer to sell 422 shares at $150, Trinidad & Tobago NGL traded 13,915 shares to close at $20.70 after trading as low as $20.47 and ending with the stock on offer at $20.50 and West Indian Tobacco settled at $40, with 9,803 units changing hands and looking a bit weak at the close.
Prices of securities trading are those at which the last trade took place.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined 4,862.18 points to close at 540,072.15, the JSE Market Index fell 4,352.68 points to 491,789.45 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.45 points to 132.94.
Scotia Group transferred 4,797 units at $46, after losing $1, Seprod closed $1 lower at $46 after exchanging 4,797 shares. Supreme Ventures declined $1.35 to end at $21.60, in swapping 9,714 units, Sygnus Credit Investments shed $2 to $24.50, with 21,007 shares changing hands and Victoria Mutual Investments gained 84 cents to end at $10.94, in trading 106,620 shares.
Market activity ended with 33 securities changing hands, with the prices of nine advancing, 18 declining and five remaining unchanged. Trading resulted in an exchange of 4,430,356 units valued at $12,074,628 compared to 2,894,161 units valued at $6,925,513 on Monday. The average PE Ratio for the Junior Market stocks declined to 12.8 times, 2019 earnings.
Blue Power lost 50 cents with an exchange of 35,000 units to settle at $3.50, Caribbean Cream declined by 30 cents to close at $3.70 after trading 11,353 shares. Caribbean Producers ended with a loss of 1 cent at $4.80 with 9,662 stock units changing hands, Consolidated Bakeries finished the day exchanging 5,000 shares to close at $1.63 after falling 12 cents, Elite Diagnostic lost 15 cents in trading 491 units to close at $4.30. Everything Fresh ended the market activity with 23,773 shares crossing the exchange after rising 2 cents to end at $1.07, Express Catering lost 20 cents in trading of 17,406 units at $5.80, Fontana declined by 19 cents in swapping 88,897 units at $6.60. Fosrich dipped 30 cents in trading of 41,947 shares at $3.90, GWest Corporation closed trading of 7,000 units and gained 4 cents to end at $1.06, Honey Bun ended the day at $7 after rising 2 cents and trading 41,620 stock units. iCreate declined by 2 cents to settle at 70 cents with an exchange of 16,000 shares, Indies Pharma shed 5 cents in trading of 3,362 units at $2.86, Jamaican Teas declined by 15 cents trading 279,028 units at $6.35. Key Insurance lost 48 cents in exchanging 34,284 shares to close at $3.20, KLE Group shed 26 cents after swapping 4,931 at $2.04, Knutsford Express gained $1.12 to end at $12, after trading 35,702 shares. Lasco Distributors added 1 cent and exchanged 3,820 shares at $3.03, Lasco Financial gained 5 cents to finish at $3.70 with 142,546 crossing the exchange, 
Lasco Manufacturing ended with a loss of 1 cent at $3.95 with 51,170 stock units changing hands. Limners and Bards lost 40 cents in trading of 744,674 units at $2.50, Lumber Depot climbed 4 cents and exchanged 975,842 shares at $1.55, MailPac ended trading with 1,618,642 shares, after rising 10 cents to end at $2.10. Main Event lost 30 cents in exchanging 7,283 shares to close at $5.80, Medical Disposables ended with 14,571 shares changing hands, after rising 10 cents to end at $7.60, Paramount Trading climbed 25 cents and exchanged 2,530 shares at $1.80 and Stationery and Office Supplies ended market activity with 18,500 shares to close at $9.70 after falling 29 cents.
At the close, Sagicor Group sustained dropped $11.95 and erased the $10.95 gained of Friday. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy shed $7 followed by Eppley Caribbean Property Fund and Jamaica Broilers with losses of $4.53 and $4.75, respectively.
PanJam Investment gained $1 in transferring 2,697 shares and closed at $101, Proven Investments closed 60 cents lower at $49, with 3,166 shares changing hands, Sagicor Group plunged to $68, after losing $11.95 trading 75,067 shares, Scotia Group gained $1.30 to settle at $57 transferring 244,916 shares. Seprod closed 90 cents higher at $47, exchanging 17,379 shares. Stanley Motta lost 71 cents to end at $5, in swapping 6,000 units, Victoria Mutual Investments ended at $10.10, with a loss of 60 cents trading 151,461 shares and Wisynco Group closed the day’s trade at $23, after falling 35 cents in transferring 106,046 shares.
The decline left the market price-earnings ratio at 13.1 based on 2019 earnings.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging gained 12 cents to settle at $2.05, trading 6,424 stock units, Blue Power ended the day, 20 cents higher at $4 with 3,877 stock units crossing the exchange, Caribbean Producers climbed 1 cent, swapping 600 shares at $4.81. Dolphin Cove lost 20 cents in trading of 2,393 stock units at $9.80, Elite Diagnostic finished 45 cents higher at $4.45 with 42,851 stock units trading, Express Catering exchanged 7,722 units and gained 5 cents to end at $6. Fontana slipped 1 cent to close at $6.79 with 44,009 stock units changing hands, GWest Corporation ended with a loss of 1 cent at $1.02 in the trading of 30,000 stock units, Honey Bun declined 2 cents, in transferring 33,321 shares to close at $6.98. iCreate dropped 3 cents to settle at 72 cents in exchanging 506,791 stock units, Indies Pharma ended market activity exchanging 57,828 shares to close at $2.91 after falling 4 cents, Jamaican Teas lost 19 cents in trading of 159,866 shares at $6.50. Knutsford Express fell 62 cents with 424 stock units changing hands at $10.88, Lasco Distributors fell 8 cents in exchanging 83,905 units at $3.02, Lasco Financial closed trading of 10,000 units and gained 5 cents to end at $3.65. 
Lasco Manufacturing declined by 6 cents after 26,806 stock units crossed the exchange at $3.96, Lumber Depot lost 2 cents to settle at $1.51 with a transfer of 519,559 shares, MailPac Group fell 8 cents in trading of 753,122 units at $2. Main Event gained 30 cents and exchanged 22,578 shares at $6.10, Medical Disposables climbed $1 to end at $7.50 with 85,429 shares trading, SSL Venture declined 6 cents in trading 40,000 stock units at $1.02. Stationery and Office Supplies ended with 1,728 shares crossing the exchange, after rising 19 cents to end at $9.99 and tTech closed down 10 cents to $5.50 with 1,532 units changing hands.
The market closed with 15 securities changing hands, compared to 18 on Friday, with three gaining, five declining and the prices of seven remaining unchanged. Two stocks closed at 52 weeks’ high and one at a low.
Losses| Clico Investment lost 3 cents to close at $28.45, with 10,692 units crossing the exchange, First Citizens Bank shed 1 cent and settled at $47, with investors exchanging 2,228 shares, Scotiabank ended trading with 3,885 units after falling 11 cents to $61.29. Trinidad & Tobago NGL lost 3 cents with 31,407 shares changing hands to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $20.78 and Unilever Caribbean fell 4 cents and ended at $22.01, with investors exchanging 100 shares.
The Main Market of the continued to trek upward, with the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index advancing 1,739.78 points to close at 549,514.06, the JSE Market Index added 1,697.56 points to 500,463.33 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.78 points to 135.65.
Trading in December resulted in an average of 595,143 units valued at $9,344,514 for each security.
NCB Financial declined by 57 cents to $188.98, after with 55,928 shares changing hands, PanJam Investment lost 90 cents transferring 9,892 shares and closed at $100, Sagicor Group soared $10.95 to $79.95 in exchanging 61,692 shares. Scotia Group closed at $55.70, after gaining $1.70 after swapping 31,812 shares, Seprod lost 90 cents transferring 15,552 shares to end at $46.10, Sygnus Credit Investments closed 50 cents higher to $26.50, with an exchange of 37,121 shares and Victoria Mutual Investments ended the day’s at $10.70, after rising 92 cents and trading 207,567 units.
The market closed with 38 securities changing hands, with prices of 8 securities rising, 23 declining and seven remaining unchanged, resulting in an exchange of 2,050,342 units valued at $12,142,583 compared to 2,189,745 units valued at $8,061,287 from 35 securities on Thursday.
At the close of the market, Access Financial gained $5.60 to end at $36 after trading 134,272 stock units, AMG Packaging shed 14 cents in exchanging 3,524 units at $1.93, Blue Power lost 21 cents with 99,797 shares crossing the exchange, to close at $3.80. Caribbean Cream closed trading of 5,000 units with a gain of 35 cents to end at $4, Caribbean Flavours ended with a loss of $1 at $16 with just 100 stock units changing hands, Cargo Handlers traded 12,000 shares, after rising 15 cents to end at $8.25. Caribbean Producers shed 20 cents in trading of 55,390 units at $4.80, Consolidated Bakeries declined by 7 cents to settle at $1.75, in exchanging 6,196 shares, Dolphin Cove lost 50 cents in trading 2,583 stock units to close at $10. Elite Diagnostic declined by 50 cents to settle at $4 with 27,497 shares changing hands, Everything Fresh added 1 cent after exchanging 175,600 shares at $1.05. Express Catering lost 11 cents, trading 58,084 units at $5.95. Fontana lost 20 cents in trading of 60,065 units at $6.80, Fosrich closed with a loss of 10 cents at $4.20, after swapping 33,383 shares, General Accident fell 20 cents in trading of 23,349 units at $6. GWest Corporation fell 3 cents in exchanging 5,773 units at $1.03, Honey Bun dipped 50 cents in trading of 3,732 units at $7, iCreate fell 5 cents with 14,020 units crossing the exchange at 75 cents, Iron Rock Insurance declined by 54 cents to settle at $3.45 after 27,022 units crossed the market. Jamaican Teas climbed 9 cents and exchanged 39,366 shares at $6.69, Jetcon Corporation closed 3 cents higher at $1.45, with 2,700 stock units trading, 
Knutsford Express rose $1.50 to end at $11.50 with 94,602 stock units changing hands. Lasco Distributors ended market activity, exchanging 42,460 shares to close at $3.10 after falling 9 cents. Lasco Financial shed 40 cents in trading 14,091 units to close at $3.60, Lasco Manufacturing dipped 28 cents in exchanging 1,873 units at $4.02, Lumber Depot closed 3 cents higher at $1.53, with 130,061 stock units trading. Medical Disposables ended market activity, exchanging 250,940 shares to close at $6.50 after falling 70 cents. Paramount Trading shed 18 cents in trading 248,370 units at $1.55, SSL Venture ended with a loss of 1 cent at $1.08 with 120 stock units changing hands, Stationery and Office Supplies declined by 10 cents to settle at $9.80 after exchanging 12,059 units and tTech slipped 2 cents in trading of 200 units at $5.60.
The Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange market recorded gains on Friday following Thursday’s increases, even as declining ones outnumbered the number of stocks advancing. 
Volume trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange fell sharply to half of Wednesday’s level while the value of all stocks trading fell to just 15 percent of that on Wednesday.
The market closed with an average of 407,904 units at $1,243,146 for each security traded, in contrast to 856,460 units valued at an average of $8,524,367 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 626,696 units valued at $3,584,638for each security changing hands, compared to 636,606 units valued at $3,530,001 for each security traded. Trading in December resulted in an average of 595,143 units valued at $9,344,514 for each security.
JMMB Group slipped $1 to $46, with an exchange of 86,252 shares, Mayberry Jamaican Equities closed $1 lower to $10.50 transferring 21,350 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy fell $6 to end at $202, after swapping 106 units. NCB Financial Group declined by 25 cents to $189.55, after exchanging 20,814 shares, Sagicor Group ended at $69, after a loss of $1, in trading 71,403 stock units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund gained 80 cents to settle at $9.80, with 204,747 shares changing hands. Seprod lost $1 transferring 10,826 shares to close at $47, Sygnus Credit Investments closed 50 cents lower to $26, with an exchange of 2,474 shares and Victoria Mutual Investments ended the day’s trade at $9.78, after losing 75 cents in trading 329,895 units.
