Grace Kennedy hit a new 52 weeks’ high of $102 but with only 502 shares trading and gained $2 in the process, but now has a bid to buy 7,000 units at $103. With the exception of trading in 1 million units of 
Caribbean Flavours at $8 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share with 312,000 units changing hands at $2.11, volumes were light on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, in the early morning session on Friday.
Trading resulted in activity in 28 securities, accounting for a volume of 1,571,599 units as 9 stocks gained and 9 declined. The average number of shares traded is just 56,129 units compared to an average of a mere 18,121 units on Thursday.
After 75 minutes of trading in the early morning session, on Friday, the all Jamaica Composite Index rose 1,650.04 points to 172,786.13, the JSE Market Index rose 1,475.40 points to 155,543.42, the JSE combined index gained 1,621.07 points, to 166,060.64 and the junior market index rose 24.61 points to 2,123.04.
Grace hits new high on JSE – Friday
Palace jumped $55 on Thursday
Palace Amusement Company jumped $55 to end at a 52 week’s high of $150.
Investors pushed the price of 16 stocks in the overall market up, 10 down, including 5 stocks rising and 6 declining, from the junior market as two stocks in the main market hit new highs.
The JSE Market Index gained 763.41 points to end at 154,068.02. The all Jamaica Composite Index rose 853.77 points to close at 171,136.09 and the JSE combined index climbed 426.46 points, to close at 164,439.57.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 10 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.At the end of market activities, Cable & Wireless closed with a 9 cents gain at $1.37 after trading 2,156,546 units, Caribbean Cement traded 58,012 shares and gained 1 cent and closed at $25, Carreras rose $1.44 with 13,016 units trading to close at $66.44, Ciboney traded 161,517 units and gained 3 cents to close at 21 cents. Grace Kennedy jumped $8 in trading 3,985 units to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $100, Jamaica Producers traded 97,862 shares at $40, Kingston Wharves closed with 5,572 shares at $11.80, National Commercial Bank traded 268,497 shares, to close at $40 after losing 25 cents. Palace Amusement traded 1,950 shares and gained $55 to close at a 52 weeks high of $150,
Pan Jamaican Investment rose 20 cents to close trading at $121 as 21,000 shares changed hands, Radio Jamaica rose by 2 cents in trading 66,216 shares at $1.33, Sagicor Group ended with 11,348 shares changing hands at $22.50. Sagicor Real Estate Fund gained 12 cents trading 948,689 shares and ended at $10.12, Scotia Group rose 50 cents to close at $31, while 51,927 units changed hands, Seprod traded 10,392 shares with the price rising 9 cents to $16.99. Sterling Investments lost 3 cents to close at $11.95 with 10,410 shares trading, Supreme Ventures closed at $5.15 with 24,700 shares changing hands, after losing 9 cents and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share, traded 559,100 units at $2.11.
J$ holds vs US for 4th day to Thursday
Dealers in the forex market who bought over US$14 million more than they sold on Tuesday and Wednesday, bought another US$4 million more than they sold on Thursday in all currencies, but the local currency selling rate remained unchanged for the fourth consecutive day.
The foreign exchange market closed on Thursday, with dealers buying the equivalent of US$73,223,739 and selling US$69,222,068, in contrast to US$47,426,389 purchased and US$41,268,792 sold on Wednesday.
In US dollar trading, dealers bought US$70,329,703 compared to US$43,202,460 on Wednesday, as the buying rate for the US dollar rose 19 cents to $124.97. A total of US$67,424,252 was sold versus US$38,669,562 on Wednesday with the selling rate remaining unchanged at $125.42.
The Canadian dollar buying rate fell 42 cents to end at $92.83 with dealers buying C$818,078 and selling C$976,124, at an average rate that climbed by 37 cents to $96.30. The rate for buying the British Pound fell 97 cents to $179.14 for the purchase of £1,495,157, while £516,202 was sold, with the rate gaining $1.26 to $182.27.
At the end of trading, the selling rate for Euro, dropped 20 cents to close at J$139.77, from Wednesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$136.98, for a fall of 40 cents from Wednesday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded amounts to US$143,028 being bought, while US$298,211 was sold.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest rates, the Jamaican dollar traded at, in the foreign exchange market on Thursday, include, a drop of $18.51 in the lowest selling rate of the US dollar to $101.49, a rise of 90 cents in the highest buying rate of the British Pound to $185.70, a rise of $1.08 in the lowest buying rate to end at $146.50, a gain of $1.40 in the highest selling rate for to $190.62 and an decline of $1 in the lowest selling rate to $172.
Juniors suffer big drop on Thursday
ISP Finance at new high on Thursday.
A total of 15 securities traded of which 5 advanced and 6 declined. The market ended with bids for 7 stocks closing higher than their last selling prices and 2 ending with lower offers.
At the end of trading, Access Financial Services traded 8,300 units to close at $16.50 after trading at $17.15, AMG Packaging had 1,259 shares trading at $11.65, Caribbean Cream traded early in the morning session at $5 but closed unchanged for the day at $4.47, having traded 326,000 shares. Caribbean Producers traded 65,070 units at $3.90 after falling 65 cents, General Accident traded 49,000 units to close at $2.15. Honey Bun dropped $3.95 and closed at $18 with 10,000 shares traded,
Iron Rock fell 55 cents in trading 1,395 shares to close at $3.20, ISP Finance rose by 15 cents in trading 8,688 shares to end at a new high of $3, Jamaican Teas traded 21,059 units but fell 30 cents to $3.55. Jetcon Corporation traded 137,712 shares and gained 17 cents to close at $3, Lasco Distributors fell 5 cents and closed with 76,820 units trading to close at $7.45. Lasco Financial closed at $3.29 with 2,800 shares changing hands having shed 1 cent, Lasco Manufacturing traded 441,563 shares and rose 10 cents to close at $4.30, Medical Disposables had 37,000 shares changing hands to close at $3, for a 5 cents gain and tTech fell 20 cents and ended with 6,821 units changing hands at $4.30.
More records fall on JSE – Thursday
More records fell in trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange in the early morning session on Thursday with very low volumes passing through the market as Grace Kennedy hit $95 with a rise of $3 following strong first quarterly results and Palace Amusement jumped $55 to $150 while trading 1,950 units.
Elsewhere, Caribbean Cream rose 53 cents in trading 200,000 shares at $5, with the stock being offered just below 150,000 units to sell. Lasco Manufacturing fell to $4 with 41,100 shares traded and Honey Bun dropped $3.95 to $18 with 10,000 shares.
Trading resulted in activity in 31 securities, accounting for a small volume of 561,740 units as 10 stocks gained and 9 declined. The average number of shares traded is just 18,121 units compared to an average of a mere 21,557 units on Wednesday.
After 75 minutes of trading in the early morning session, on Thursday, the all Jamaica Composite Index rose 1,075.15 points to 171,357.47, the JSE Market Index rose 961.36 points to 154,265.97, the JSE combined index gained 410.07 points, to 164,423.18 and the junior market index dropped 46.97 points to 2,078.93.
J$ stand still vs US on Wednesday
Dealers in the forex market who bought over US$8 million more than they sold on Tuesday bought another US$6 million more than they sold on Wednesday in all currencies but hey bought in US$4.5 million more than they sold in United States currency.
The foreign exchange market closed on Wednesday, with dealers buying the equivalent of US$47,426,389 and selling US$41,268,792, in contrast to US$88,926,675 purchased and US$80,478,200 sold on Tuesday.
In US dollar trading, dealers bought US$43,202,460 compared to US$84,018,742 on Tuesday, as the buying rate for the US dollar fell 19 cents to $124.78.
A total of US$38,669,562 was sold versus US$77,992,668 on Tuesday with the selling rate remaining unchanged at $125.42. The Canadian dollar buying rate rose 66 cents to end at $93.25 with dealers buying C$1,422,115 and selling C$1,968,258, at an average rate that climbed by 12 cents to $95.93. The rate for buying the British Pound rose $1.44 to $180.11 for the purchase of £2,141,432, while £687,061 was sold, with the rate gaining 12 cents to $181.01.
At the end of trading, the selling rate for Euro, dropped 67 cents to close at J$139.97, from Tuesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$137.38, for a fall of 66 cents on Tuesday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded amounts to US$70,461 being bought, while US$102,157 was sold.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest rates the Jamaican dollar traded at in the foreign exchange market on Wednesday, include, a jump of $18.26 in the lowest selling rate of the US dollar to end at $120, a fall of $1.10 in the highest selling rate to $98.40 for the Canadian dollar , a rise of $1.70 in the highest buying rate of the British Pound to $184.80, a rise of $1 in the lowest buying rate to end at $145.42, a rise of $1.30 in the highest selling rate for to $189.22 and an increase of $1 in the lowest selling rate to $173.
21 JSE stocks rose 8 declined on Wednesday
Jamaica Producers jumped $5.01 to a new high on Wednesday
The Jamaica Stock Exchange main market ended with two new 52 weeks’ high as Grace Kennedy closed at $92 and Jamaica Producers traded up to $40 with the announcement of a 5 for stock bonus to be considered at its upcoming annual General meeting. The junior market saw Cargo Handlers trading at a new all-time high at the close. The market closed with 39 securities changing hands, accounting for just 4,021,654 units valued at $52,808,843, in all market segments.
The junior market accounted for 2,139,183 shares valued at $12,635,596 of the total level traded.
Investors pushed the price of 21 stocks in the overall market up, 8 down, including 5 stocks rising and 4 declining, from the junior market as two stocks in the main market hit new highs.
The JSE Market Index moved up 1,243.66 points to end at 153,304.61. The all Jamaica Composite Index rose 1,390.88 points to close at 170,282.32 and the JSE combined index climbed 1,481.01 points, to close at 164,013.11.IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 15 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 6 with lower offers.
At the end of market activities, Berger Paints traded only 431 shares but rose 12 cents to close at $4.50, Cable & Wireless closed with a 9 cents gain at $1.37 after trading 52,700 units, Caribbean Cement traded 12,575 shares and gained 99 cents and closed at $24.99, Carreras fell 20 cents with 32,147 units trading to close at $65. Ciboney traded 98,000 units and gained 2 cents to close at 18 cents. The price of 1834 Investments gained 9 cents to close at $1.10, with 25,886 units trading, Grace Kennedy traded 1,022 units and gained $1 closed at $92, Hardware and Lumber traded 10,704 shares to rise by $2.50 to $18.50, Jamaica Broilers lost 20 cents to end at $14.40 while trading 26,842 shares. Jamaica Producers jumped $5.01 in trading 76,138 shares at $40, Kingston Wharves closed with a rise of 28 cents to close at $11.80, after trading 2,728 units. National Commercial Bank traded 14,487 shares, to close at $40.25.
Pan Jamaican Investment closed trading at $121 as 18,273 shares changed hands, Radio Jamaica lost 1 cent in trading 5,000 shares at $1.31, Sagicor Group rose by 20 cents and ended with 1,270,216 shares changing hands at $22.50. Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 15,542 shares and ended at $10, Scotia Group rose 50 cents to close at $30.50, while 43,041 units changed hands, Seprod traded 14,202 shares with the price rising 15 cents to $16.90. Supreme Ventures closed at $5.15 with 112,186 shares changing hands, after losing 9 cents and Proven Investments preference share, traded 24,509 units at $5, with a loss of 2 cents.
Juniors close higher on Wednesday
Cargo Handlers traded at a new high of $46.
At the end of trading, Cargo Handlers traded 1,855 shares and gained $1 to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $46, Caribbean Cream rose 1 cent to close with 183,568 shares changing hands at $4.47,
Caribbean Producers traded 6,500 units at $4.55, Consolidated Bakeries traded 16,000 units to close with a loss of 10 cents at $1.50. Honey Bun closed with a gain of 45 cents at $21.95, while 3,500 shares traded, Iron Rock traded 3,000 shares at $3.75, Jetcon Corporation traded 900 shares and gained 2 cents to close at $2.83, KLE Group lost 7 cents in closing with 121,998 shares trading at $1.61. Lasco Distributors gained 30 cents and closed with 1,277,830 units trading with the price closing at $7.50. Lasco Financial closed at $3.30 with 391,866 shares changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing lost 40 cents and closed at $4.20 with 123,963 shares changing hands and tTech fell 20 cents and ended with 8,203 units changing hands at $4.30.
1 new high 2 lows on TTSE – Wednesday
Witco traded at a new high on the TTSE on Wednesday.
The Composite Index gained 0.38 points to close at 1,109.46, the All T&T Index advanced by 0.76 points to close at 1,762.12 and the Cross Listed Index remained at 60.73.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 6 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 7 with offers that were lower. The indicator has been showing improving market sentiments recently but it may not mean the end of declining stocks.
Gains| Agostini’s gained 4 cents in trading 4,000 shares at $17.05, Trinidad and Tobago NGL rose 49 cents in trading 7,200 units at $20.99 and West Indian Tobacco traded 152 shares to close at 52 weeks’ high of $126.40 after rising 3 cents.
Losses| Scotiabank had 1,000 shares changing hands, with a loss of 6 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low, of $53.80, Trinidad Cement fell 1 cent to close at $3.50, with 250 shares changing hands and Unilever Caribbean dipped 11 cents with 9,526 shares trading, valued at $617,571, to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $64.83.Firm Trades| Clico Investment Fund traded 8,000 shares to close at $22.65, First Citizens Bank close at $30 as 21,355 units valued at $640,650 changed hands, National Commercial Bank traded 1,201,579 shares for a value of $2,888,790 at $2.40 and National Enterprises closed with 300 units trading at $11.20.
JSE makes early trading gains
In Jamaica Stock Exchange trading in the early morning session on Wednesday all main market indices rose robustly as investors started trading across a wide number of securities but with muted volumes but with two main market stocks trading at new 52 weeks’ high.
Trading resulted in activity in 28 securities, accounting for a mere 603,583 units as 17 stocks gained and 5 declined. The average number of shares traded is just 21,557 units compared to an average of 40,087 units on Tuesday.
Grace Kennedy traded just 522 shares at a 52 weeks’ high of $91.66 and so did Jamaica Producers Group that traded 76,038 shares up to a new 52 weeks’ high of $40. Palace Amusement could also trade at a new high with the bid at $140 to buy 500 shares. Elsewhere, Supreme Ventures traded 104,250 shares at $5, Caribbean Cream traded 80,555 shares at $4.47 and Lasco manufacturing traded 72,600 shares at $4.35.
After 75 minutes of trading in the early morning session, on Wednesday, the all Jamaica Composite Index rose 775.66 points to 169,667.10, the JSE Market Index rose 693.56 points to 152,754.51, the JSE combined index gained 942.52 points, to 163,474.62 and the junior market index rose 29.17 points to 2,123.15.
