Grace Kennedy shares ended at a 52 weeks’ closing high on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
The Composite Index gained 2.84 points to close at 1,151.13, the All T&T Index advanced 2.58 points to close at 1,814.53 and the Cross Listed Index rose 0.42 at 64.91.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 5 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with offers that were lower.
Gains| Angostura Holdings ended with 7,049 shares changing hands to close 49 cents higher at $14, Grace Kennedy contributed 22,529 shares, gaining 23 cents in trading, to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $2.20. Guardian Holdings with 18,340 shares changing hands, gained 2 cents to end at $13.57, Prestige Holdings traded 271 shares to close 10 cents higher, at $10.90 and Scotiabank gained 12 cents to close with 1,284 shares changing hands at $55.70.
Losses| Clico Investment Fund lost 5 cents to end at $22.65 with 8,400 shares trading, Sagicor Financial Corporation with 56,503 shares being traded for $392,181, lost 4 cents, to close at $6.94 and One Caribbean Media lost 9 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $20.80 with 3,100 units changing hands.Firm Trades| Ansa Merchant Bank traded 1,858 units to end at $40, National Enterprises ended with 1,000 shares changing hands to close at $10.50, National Commercial Bank contributed 37,000 shares to close at $2.65. National Flour ended with 103,852 shares changing hands to close at $2.31, Trinidad and Tobago NGL closed with 23,451 shares valued at $556,961, changing hands at $23.75 and Trinidad Cement ended at $3.05 with 1,000 shares changing hands.
Composite Index surged 1,390.50 points to close at 179,666.35 and the JSE combined index climbed 1,075.20 points, to end at 172,869.15.
Jamaica Broilers traded with the price unchanged with 170,389 shares to end at $14.51. Jamaica Producers rose 20 cents to close at $8.20 with 496,696 units trading, Jamaica Stock Exchange had 2,600 units changing hands to close at $21.50, JMMB Group traded 17,438 units to end at $9.87. Kingston Wharves traded 1,000 shares to close at $16 after rising 45 cents, 
while 3 declined with one closing at new highs. The market index fell 7.61 points to close at 2,230.46.
Jamaican Teas traded 3,286 units to close at $3.80, 
Jamaica Producers Group (JPG) is the second leading trade with 486,781 units as the price rose 30 cents to $8.20, there are no JPG stock currently being offered for sale. Other noticeable trades include Cable & Wireless with 273,653 units at $1.06, Consolidated Bakeries with 48,150 shares at $2.50, after the company posted profit for the six months to June of $27 million versus $15 million in 2015 with earnings per share ending at 12 cents for the period an just 2 cents for the June quarter. Honey Bun traded 38,815 shares at $5.60 and Jetcon Corporation with 64,203 units at $2.85, with a 15 cents gain.
Authorized dealers added to their stockpile of foreign exchange driving it up by US$12 million Tuesday, bringing the net purchases since the end of June, to US$177 million by Jamaica’s foreign exchange dealers. 
The Canadian dollar buying rate rose 68 cents to end at $95.26, with dealers buying C$1,094,482 and selling C$799,637 at an average rate that rose $1.46 to $98.44. The average rate for buying the British Pound dropped $2.53 to $160.21 for the purchase of £812,742, while £483,897 was sold to end at $164.02, for a rise of 60 cents.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest traded rates, for the Jamaican dollar in the foreign exchange market on Tuesday, include a fall of $1.30 in the highest buying rate of Canadian Dollar to close at $98.20, a jump of $1.12 in the lowest buying rate to end at $78.97, while the highest selling rate rose $1.39 to $102.69 and the lowest selling rate declined by $1.50 to $90. Trading in the British Pound resulted in a drop of $2.20 in the highest buying rate to $164.80, the highest selling rate dropped $3.85 to close at $168.68 and lowest selling rate rose $3 to close of $159.
At the end of market activities, Barita Investments lost 20 cents and ended trading 40,000 units, to close at $2.80, Berger Paints fell 16 cents in trading 8,500 units, to close at $5, Cable & Wireless traded 122,850 shares but gained 5 cents to close at $1.15, Caribbean Cement fell $1.49 in trading 7,350 shares to close at $25.51. Carreras rose 45 cents, in trading 171,221 shares to end at $65.50, the price of 1834 Investments gained 2 cents, in trading 62,658 shares, to end at $1.40, Grace Kennedy fell 50 cents and ended at $46 with 216,244 shares changing hands, Jamaica Broilers dropped 49 cents in trading 41,665 shares to end at $14.51. Jamaica Producers rose 10 cents to close at $8 with 6,971 units trading, Jamaica Stock Exchange had 42,200 units changing hands to close at $21.50, JMMB Group traded 2,537,927 units to end with a rise of 1 cent at $9.87. Kingston Wharves traded 8,200 shares to close at $15.55 after rising 45 cents, 
Mayberry Investments gained 15 cents and ended with 10,086 shares trading to close at $4.10, National Commercial Bank had 62,942 units changing hands, to close at $40.25 after falling $1.25. Pan Jamaican Investments gained 10 cents to close at $25.30 after trading 50,062 shares, Radio Jamaica gained 5 cents to close at $1.70 after 59,429 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group fell 50 cents with 246,165 shares changing hands at $21, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 25,500 shares but lost 22 cents to close at $10. Scotia Group traded 11,402 shares to end at $29.01 after rising by 1 cent, Supreme Ventures closed at $4.70 with 1,232,612 shares changing hands, Proven Investments ordinary share traded 8,300 units at 19.97 US cents compared to 19.98 US cents on Monday and JMMB Group 7.50% preference share traded 87,835 units at $1.10.
Cargo Handlers ended with 3,719 shares changing hands at $72, after trading at an intraday high of $72.02. Caribbean Cream had 3,030 shares changing hands, to close at $7.05, Caribbean Flavours traded 2,900 units to end at $7 with a gain of 48 cents, Caribbean Producers fell 13 cents, in trading 63,478 units to close at $3.30, Consolidated Bakeries traded 80,000 units and lost 5 cents, to end at $2.50. Derrimon Trading ended at $3.05 with 35,868 shares changing hands, General Accident had 239,266 shares changing hands to close 20 cents higher, at $2.20. Honey Bun had 84,181 shares changing hands with a gain of 6 cents, to close at $5.59, ISP Finance Services had 34,654 shares changing hands with a rise of 22 cents to end at 52 weeks’ high of $5. 
Jamaican Teas traded 9,000 units and fell 20 cents to close at $3.80, Jetcon Corporation traded 99,225 shares and gained 1 cent to close at $2.70, after trading as high as $3. Knutsford Express closed with 176 units changing hands at $20. Lasco Distributors ended with a rise of 20 cents while 222,361 shares changed hands at $7, Lasco Financial traded 43,419 units to close at $3.30, Lasco Manufacturing closed at $5 with 705,000 shares trading, after rising 48 cents. Medical Disposables traded 28,247 shares to close at $3.50 and tTech dropped 65 cents and ended with 4,489 units changing hands at $3.85.
Trading activity on the Trinidad and Tobago stock market continued with low volumes and when it closed on Tuesday, 11 securities changed hands, resulting in a mere 43,810 shares valued at $787,615 being traded. At the close, 3 stocks rose, 3 declined and 5 remained unchanged, leading to marginal changes in all the market indices. One stock closed at 52 weeks’ lows and one at a 52 weeks’ high. 
Losses| First Citizens dipped 50 cents in trading 700 units, to end at $35, Massy Holdings closed with 499 shares changing hands with the loss of 1 cent at $55.98 and Unilever Caribbean traded 15 units to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $64.32 after falling 8 cents.
Stocks trading at a new 52 weeks’ high are Cargo Handlers at $72.02, ISP Finance Services at $5.22. Other noticeable trades include Cable & Wireless with 105,961 units at $1.15, Caribbean Producers with 50,000 units at $3.20, Honey Bun traded 75,372 shares at $5.53, JMMB Group traded 2,537,927 units at $9.87, JMMB Group 7.50% preference share traded 87,835 units at $1.10, Jetcon Corporation with 48,827 units at $3, Lasco Distributors with 217,361 shares at $6.55, Lasco Manufacturing with 665,561 units at $5, Sagicor Group had 170,700 units at $21.50.
Authorized dealers held on to US$49 million in total foreign exchange purchased sine last week Monday, while the selling rate for the Jamaica versus the US dollar slid by 31 cents as US$16 million more was added to the stock pile by dealers. Monday’s net purchase puts the surplus bought since the end of June, to US$165 million by Jamaica’s foreign exchange dealers. 
A total of US$32,601,043 was sold versus US$21,536,270 on Friday, with the selling rate rising 6 cents to end at $126.99. The Canadian dollar buying rate rose 14 cents to end at $94.58, with dealers buying C$1,666,225 and selling C$807,331 at an average rate that fell 7 cents to $96.98. The average rate for buying the British Pound climbed 36 cents to $162.74 for the purchase of £3,041,453, while £1,392,745 was sold to end at $164.62, for a rise of 83 cents.
according to data from Bank of Jamaica, currency at J$137.02 for a jump of $2.72 from the rate on Wednesday. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded amounts to US$293,394 being bought, while US$395,203 was sold.
