Trading on Friday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended with a sharp fall in the volume and value of stocks that were exchanged compared with Thursday, resulting in the Main Market and the Junior Market while the JSE USD Market gained. At the close of trading the prices of 39 shares rose, 40 declined and 25 remained firm.
At the close of the market, the JSE Combined Market Index slipped 869.03 points to end at 324,574.96, while the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 1,021.66 points to close trading at 358,346.56, the JSE Main Index shed 803.71 points to 311,973.99, the Junior Market Index dipped 14.01 points to end the day at 3,659.36, and the JSE USD Market Index gained 5.63 points to close at 245.78.
At the close of trading, 12,195,304 shares were exchanged in all three markets, down sharply from 50,845,611 units on Thursday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounted to just $70.23 million, compared with $150.9 million on the previous day and the JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 669,330 shares for US$70,066 well below the 16,925,886 units at US$433,335 on Thursday.
In Main Market activity, Transjamaican Highway led trading with 1.41 million stocks followed by Radio Jamaica with 1.23 million shares and Carreras with 724,905 units.
In Junior Market trading, Dolla Financial led trading with 1.42 million stocks followed by Lumber Depot with 886,295 shares and One Great Studio with 746,396 units.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.75% preference share dropped $2.57 and ended at $20.20.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to value stocks, ended at 13.4 on 2024-25 earnings of 19.6 based on 2023-24 earnings. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the other more detailed daily charts provide investors regularly updated information to help in decision-making. The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, for ease of comparison within a sector and the overall market. The earnings per share (EPS) and PE ratios are based on 2024 and 2024 actual or projected earnings, excluding any major one time income or expense.
Pertinent information is required to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The chart should be used in making rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the sector average, not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the thinking of the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock. The net asset value of each company is incorporated into the chart.
Investors can use this measure in assessing stock values. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices. Dividends that are paid or are due to be paid and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume of the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company