The overall market value was slightly lower at the close of trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday than the previous week’s closing. The market inched higher after more stocks rose than declined with 15 percent fewer shares with a 224 percent higher value trading than Thursday.
Trading ended with an exchange of 32 securities compared to 30 on Thursday, with prices of 14 rising, 12 declining and six closing unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index gained 13.48 points to close at 2,532.35. The average PE Ratio ended at 12.2 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 12,631,994 shares for $33,900,773 compared to 3,786,740 units at $10,471,683 on Thursday. Derrimon Trading led trading with 75.5 percent of the total volume of 9.54 million shares, followed by Mailpac Group with 13.3 percent for 1.68 million shares and Elite Diagnostic with 3.2 percent or 400,000 shares.
Trading ended with an average of 394,750 units at $1,059,399 in contrast to 126,225 at $349,056 on Thursday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in an exchange of 238,314 units at $668,207 compared to 221,515 units at $626,199 on Thursday. October closed with an average of 230,868 units at $535,509.
At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging rose 3 cents to end at $1.63 with 19,547 shares trading, Blue Power advanced 16 cents to $3.46 with 40 stocks changing hands, Caribbean Assurance Brokers gained 9 cents to settle at $1.85 with a mere two stock units trading. Caribbean Cream rose 11 cents to $4.07 with an exchange of 27,304 stocks, Caribbean Flavours ended 5 cents higher at $1.75 with 32,929 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Producers increased by 3 cents to finish at $2.34 with 31,576 units trading. Consolidated Bakeries lost 4 cents to settle at $1.35 with 20,000 shares changing hands, Derrimon Trading climbed 23 cents to close at $2.70 with 9,538,037 shares passing through the market, Elite Diagnostic exchanged 400,000 shares and gained 5 cents to end at $3.10. Everything Fresh declined 7 cents, trading 6,000 shares to finish at 71 cents, Express Catering slipped 1 cent to $3.74 with a transfer of 17,003 units, Fontana dropped 17 cents to close at $4.80 with 17,727 units changing hands. 
Fosrich rose 2 cents to close at $3.70 with 67,870 stock units passing through the market, General Accident fell 5 cents to end at $6.45 in exchanging 42,379 stocks, Honey Bun lost 5 cents to finish at $4.80 with investors swapping 88,589 shares. Jamaican Teas shed 40 cents to settle at $5.50 with 128,722 stocks traded, Knutsford Express dipped 10 cents to $6.60 with 1,699 units changing hands, Lasco Financial rose 2 cents to end at $2.72 with 93,502 units passing through the market. Lasco Manufacturing climbed 12 cents to $3.97 with a transfer of 250 shares, Limners and Bards gained 2 cents to end at $2.42 with 57,677 stocks changing hands, Lumber Depot slipped 6 cents in an exchange of 177,201 units at $1.20. Mailpac Group traded 1,681,152 units and rose 4 cents to $2.24, Medical Disposables dropped 29 cents to settle at $4.01 with 123 shares passing through the market, Paramount Trading carved out a lost 2 cents to close at $1.48 with investors switching 10,900 stock units and tTech shed 30 cents to end at $5.45 with 7,315 stock units crossing the exchange.
In the preference segment, Derrimon Trading rose 3 cents to $2.08, with 844 units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
