Declining stocks hold upper hand – Thursday

The Jamaica Stock Exchange made some modest gains on Thursday with trading closed with 44 securities trading as the prices of 12 gained while 14 declined in the overall market, including 4 stocks rising and 4 falling, in the junior market.
At the close 6,736,290 units valued at $26,904,029, changed hands, compared to 4,936,602 units valued at $80,553,639 changing hands on Wednesday. The junior market accounted for 1,753,530 units valued at $7,158,594 of the stocks traded.
At the close, the JSE Market Index rose 155.60 points to end at 166,601.28. The all Jamaica Composite Index close higher by 174.02 points to close at 185,152.77 and the JSE combined index rose 254.44 points, to end at 179,602.60.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 10 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
In market activity, Barita Investments traded 203,167 shares and gained 49 cents and close at $4.59, but with a small amount trading at the closing price and with the average price at $4.01, Cable & Wireless gained 6 cents to close at 96 cents with 170,464 units trading, Caribbean Cement rose 20 cents in trading 6,992 shares to close at $30.70. Carreras gained 3 cents with 918 shares changing hands at $65.03, trading in 1834 Investments ended with 24,000 shares changing hands to close at $1.24, Grace Kennedy closed with 69,734 shares changing hands at $42 after falling 45 cents, Jamaica Producers ended with 991 shares changing hands to close at $8.40. Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 40 cents and ended at $27 while trading 31,435 shares, JMMB Group climbed 54 cents in trading 111,604 units to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $14.55, Kingston Properties lost 12 cents in closing at $9 with 14,000 shares changing hands, Kingston Wharves lost 45 cents in trading 26,495 shares to close at $17.05. Mayberry Investments traded 8,619 shares to close with a loss of 20 cents at $3.50, National Commercial Bank traded 7,764 shares and declined 40 cents to end at $41.60, Pan Jamaican Investments gained 10 cents and closed at $23.50 after trading 7,800 shares. Portland JSX traded 6,435 shares and fell 30 cents to $11. Radio Jamaica lost 5 cents in trading 101,020 shares to close at $1.65, Sagicor Group traded 56,722 shares and rose by 4 cents to end at $23.85, Scotia Group closed at $30.01 with 173,539 shares changing hands. Scotia Investments had 2,000 units changing hands to close at $30, Supreme Ventures closed at $4.80 with 49,928 shares, JMMB Group 7.50% preference share traded 3,426,600 units after falling 9 cents to end at $1.10 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share traded 473,670 units at $2.10.