The two big Lasco companies hit the junior market index hard on Monday.
Stocks trading at new highs are Blue Power, Cargo Handlers and Paramount Trading. At the end of trading 6 stocks closed with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 ended with lower offers.
At the close, Blue Power rose by 50 cents, to close with 765 units changing hands at an all-time high of $17, CAC 2000 traded 5,000 shares but fell 40 cents, to close at $6, Cargo Handlers jumped $4 and ended with 1,500 shares changing hands, at an all-time high of $72. Caribbean Cream lost 25 cents with 2,500 shares changing hands, to close at $7.05, Caribbean Producers fell 2 cents, in trading 11,065 units at $3.43, Consolidated Bakeries traded 26,500 units, to end at $2.55, General Accident had 88,928 shares changing hands to close 8 cents lower, at $2. Honey Bun had 115,709 shares changing hands with a loss of 17 cents, to close at $5.53, Iron Rock Insurance traded 4,768 units and fell 2 cents to close at $3.28, ISP Financial Services had 800 shares changing hands with a loss of 15 cents to end at $5. 
Jetcon Corporation traded 37,411 shares at $2.69, Key Insurance traded 75,413 units to close at $2.50, Knutsford Express closed with 19,324 units changing hands at $20 after rising by 75 cents. Lasco Distributors ended with a loss of 20 cents while 646,920 shares changed hands at $7, Lasco Financial traded 155,762 units and gained 4 cents to close at $3.30, Lasco Manufacturing closed at $4.52 with 330,420 shares trading, but lost 43 cents. Medical Disposables traded 2,700 shares to close at $3.50, Paramount Trading climbed 60 cents to end with 123 shares changing hands at a new high of $12.10 and tTech ended with 400 units changing hands at $4.50.
The Jamaica Stock Market main market made gains in the two main indices at post losses at the end the close of trading on Monday. At the end of trading with the prices of 14 securities gaining out of a total of 46 securities that traded, with 19 declining in the overall market, including 5 stocks, rising and 9 falling from the junior market. 
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 11 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
Kingston Wharves traded 37,739 shares to close at $16 after rising 45 cents, Mayberry Investments ended with 5,937 shares trading to close at $3.95, National Commercial Bank had 111,022 units changing hands, to close at $42 after falling 50 cents. Pan Jamaican Investments lost 10 cents and closed at $25.20 after trading 7,635 shares, Radio Jamaica fell 8 cents to close at $1.65 after 70,322 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group rose 5 cents with 79,743 shares changing hands at $21.50, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 500 shares but gained 22 cents to close at $10.22. Scotia Group traded 26,125 shares to end at $29 after rising by $1.90, Supreme Ventures loss 10 cents to $4.70 with 221,427 shares changing hands, Proven Investments ordinary share traded 210,900 units at 19.98 US cents.
Losses| Massy Holdings closed with 275 shares changing hands with the loss of 1 cent at $55.99, Prestige Holdings traded 1,091 shares and fell 10 cents to close at $10.80 and L.J. Williams B share traded 33,700 units but lost 10 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of 84 cents.
Trading picked up subsequently with more securities changing hands with increased volumes. Elsewhere, Access Financial Services Unsecured Variable Rate Note Due 2020 was listed on the Exchange on Monday. 
Legislation is ready to come to parliament to make the junior market tax incentive retroactive to April 1, this year to restore the incentive to its original benefits of 100 percent tax-free status for 5 years and 50 percent of the regular tax for the second 5 years, Minister of Finance, 
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 12 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
National Commercial Bank had 319,018 units changing hands, to close at $42 after falling 2 cents. Pan Jamaican Investments lost 20 cents and closed at $25.30 after trading 4,659 shares, Radio Jamaica rose 1 cent to close at $1.57 after 2,321 shares changed hands, Sagicor Group rose 45 cents with 45,612 shares changing hands at $21.45, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 15,000 shares but fell 22 cents to close at $10. Scotia Group traded 356,705 shares to end at $27.10 after dropping sharply by $2.95, Supreme Ventures loss 10 cents to $4.80 with 174,506 shares changing hands, JMMB Group 7.50% preference share traded 780,800 units at $1.10 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.25% preference share traded 22,063 units at $2.40.
At the close of trading, Caribbean Cream lost 70 cents with 41,750 shares changing hands, to close at $7.30, Caribbean Flavours traded 3,993 units to close with a loss of 48 cents at $6.52. Caribbean Producers fell 5 cents, in trading 30,015 units at $3.45, Consolidated Bakeries traded 6,262 units, to end at $2.55, General Accident had 30,000 shares changing hands to close 1 cent lower, at $2.08. Honey Bun had 10,050 shares changing hands with a gain of 25 cents, to close at $5.70, Jamaican Teas traded 25,618 units and rose by 50 cents to end at $4. 
Jetcon Corporation traded 56,590 shares at $2.69, Knutsford Express closed with 6,700 units changing hands at $19.25 after rising by 25 cents. Lasco Distributors ended with 592,109 shares changing hands at $7, Lasco Financial traded 26,419 units and gained 1 cent to close at $3.26, Lasco Manufacturing closed at $4.95 with 61,972 shares trading, but lost 5 cents. Medical Disposables traded 83,038 shares to close at $3 and Derrimon Trading preference share, ended with 8,365 units changing hands at $2.10.
Trading on the Trinidad and Tobago stock market continue to remain low keyed and when it closed on Friday, only 7 securities changed hands resulting in a mere 92,719 shares valued at $2,730,555 being traded as recent buying interest have subsided. At the close, 2 stocks rose, 3 declined and 3 remained unchanged, leading marginal changes in all the market indices. Two stocks closed at 52 weeks’ lows. 
Losses| National Commercial Bank fell 10 cents in trading 25,000 shares to close at $2.65 and Unilever Caribbean traded 3,705 shares and fell 7 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $64.40.
Jamaica’s foreign exchange dealers bought US$9.6 million more than the amount sold on Friday, putting the surplus bought since the end of June to US$149 million, with the rate of the Jamaican dollar falling marginally against the United States currency. 
The Canadian dollar buying rate dropped $1.81 to end at $94.44, with dealers buying C$1,060,908 and selling C$950,186 at an average rate that fell 18 cents to $97.05. The average rate for buying the British Pound climbed $1.22 to $162.38 for the purchase of £1,861,633, while £305,503 was sold to end at a rate of $163.79, for a fall of 83 cents.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest traded rates, for the Jamaican dollar in the foreign exchange market on Friday, include a drop of $19.35 in the lowest buying rate of the US dollar to $103.45, a fall of 70 cents in the highest buying rate of Canadian Dollar to close at $97.80, a dive of $6.08 in the lowest selling rate to end at $77.60. Trading in the British Pound resulted in a jump of $3 in the highest buying rate to $167 and a rise of $2.30 in the lowest selling rate to close of $158.
in response to the company’s first quarter results with a rise of 11 percent in revenues but a slippage in net profit as outpayments, depreciation and interest cost rose thus negating the improved revenues. The stock traded between $1.20 and $1.30 so far. 
