Falling stocks clobber JSE – Thursday

Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended Thursday with JSE All Jamaican Composite Index dropping 4,093.70 points to 418,645.45 and the JSE Index diving by 3,720.07 points to 381,429.58 following a decline advance ratio of 5 to 2.
At the close of the main and US markets, 32 securities traded, compared to 33 on Wednesday leading to just 6 advancing, 15 declining and 11 closing unchanged.
Trading ended with just 1,499,809 units valued a mere $37,984,293 compared to 1,945,908 units valued just $26,582,198 crossing the exchange on Wednesday.
Wisynco Group led with just 286,871 shares, accounting for 19 percent of total main market volume, followed by Barita Investments with just 202,682 units with 13.5 percent of the day’s trades and Victoria Mutual Investments with a mere 138,470 units or 9 percent of volume traded.
Market activity ended with an average of 49,994 units valued at an average of $1,266,143, in contrast to 77,588 units valued at $1,371,263 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 168,967 shares at $2,360,413 for each security, compared to 182,335 shares at $2,500,108 previously. Trading for March resulted in an average of 438,501 shares at $9,851,307, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the reading showing 6 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments dived $7 to close at $43, with a 202,682 shares changing hands, Berger Paints jumped $1.20 and ended at $20.20, with 217 stock units trading, Caribbean Cement fell $2 to finish at $64, with 30,573 changing hands, Carreras lost 35 cents and concluded trading of 71,125 units at $8.90. Eppley ended with a loss of 50 cents trading 4,348 shares to close at $10.50, Jamaica Broilers climbed $1.20 to close at $31.20, with 29,456 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers lost 45 cents to close at $21.55, trading 116,272 shares. JMMB Group fell 79 cents to end at $30.01, with an exchange of 33,468 shares, NCB Financial gave back the 99 cents it gained on Wednesday to settle at $144.01, trading 21,081 units, Pulse Investments lost 30 cents and finished at $2.70, with 113,778 shares crossing the exchange. Sagicor Group fell $1.85 in trading 109,632 shares at $37.15, Seprod lost 75 cents to close at $42, with 11,431 shares traded and Supreme Ventures lost $1 and finished at $26, with 44,274 units changing hands.
Trading in the US dollar market ended with 34,559 units valued at US$4,622. Proven Investments ended trading with 7,500 units at 22 US cents and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 1 cent in trading 27,059 units to close at 11 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index declined by 3.80 points to close at 176.43.