After four straight days of declines, investors pushed more stocks higher in market activity on Friday with the volume of shares dropping 51 percent with 60 percent less value than on Thursday at the close of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market.
The All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 1,557.35 points to 428,335.36, the JSE Main Index advanced 718.53 points to finish at 387,047.78 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.33 points to close at 94.99.
At close, a total of 50 securities were traded compared to 49 on Thursday, 23 rose, 14 fell and 13 ended unchanged.
The PE Ratio, a formula for computing appropriate stock values, averages 16.2. The PE ratio for the JSE Main and USD Market closing quotes are based on earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with financial years ending between the current year and August 2022.
A total 9,898,970 shares traded for $136,479,588 versus 20,045,378 units at $339,681,628 on Thursday. Wigton Windfarm led trading with 42.7 percent of total volume for an exchange of 4.23 million shares followed by Kingston Wharves 20.4 percent with 2.02 million units and Sterling Investments 8.3 percent with 816,803 shares.
Trading averages 197,979 units at $2,729,592, compared to 409,089 shares at $6,932,278 on Thursday and month to date, an average of 520,895 units at $5,273,111, down from 547,333 units at $5,488,663 on Thursday. November closed with an average of 233,949 units at $2,695,416.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows ten stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments fell $1.06 to $89.94 with a transfer of 6,039 shares, Berger Paints shed $1.09 in closing at $12.64 after exchanging 12,485 stock units, Caribbean Cement fell $1.01 to $73.99 after trading 8,032 units Caribbean Producers rallied $1.30 to close at a record closing high of $12.15 with 535,747 stocks crossing the market, Eppley popped $1.35 to $39.85 in an exchange of 736 units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund lost 25 cents in closing at $42.25 with the swapping of 1,083 stocks. First Rock Capital gained 39 cents to end at $10.79 in exchanging 2,753 stock units, GraceKennedy spiked 52 cents to $99 in switching ownership of 89,171 shares, Guardian Holdings dropped $4 to close at $515 with the swapping of 22,209 units. Jamaica Broilers advanced $1.40 to $29.99 with 2,994 stocks changing hands, Jamaica Producers lost 50 cents to end at $23 with 41,504 stock units crossing the market, JMMB Group rose 48 cents in closing at $38.30 trading 90,352 shares. Kingston Wharves declined $1.98 to $41 in an exchange of 2,017,426 shares, Mayberry Investments rose 85 cents to $8.85 with 108 units changing hands, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy popped 98 cents to close at $100.98 with a transfer of 119 stocks.
PanJam Investment advanced $1.48 to end at $64.98 after 659 stock units cleared the market, Sagicor Group rose 84 cents in closing at $51.98 in switching ownership of 23,709 stocks, Scotia Group gained 49 cents to end at $36.99 in trading 44,370 stock units. Stanley Motta fell 40 cents to $4.90 in switching ownership of 5,152 shares, Sygnus Real Estate Finance declined $2.51 to close at $15.21 with the swapping of 28,206 units and Wisynco Group popped 46 cents in closing at $16.96 in an exchange of 358,723 stock units.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 7.25% gained 36 cents to close at $2.76 with 2,700 units clearing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.