JSE in sharp drop on Wednesday

The Jamaica Stock Exchange main market dropped sharply on Wednesday with increased market activity but with rising stocks outpacing falling ones by 80 percent.
At the end of trading, All Jamaica Composite Index dropped 3,927.81 points to 412,448.36 and the JSE Index declined by 3,578.68 points to close at 375,787.14.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 5 stocks ending with bids higher than the last selling prices and 2 closing with lower offers, suggesting a fairly even match, between rising and declining stocks on Thursday.
A total of 32 securities traded, including 3 in the US dollar market, compared to 31 trading on Tuesday with the prices of 14 securities rising, 8 declining and 10 holding firm.
Jamaica Producers traded at 52 weeks’ high during the day, of $33 and Jamaica Stock Exchange traded at an intraday high of $9.20, but both fell back by the close, while Mayberry Investments closed at an all-time high of $10. Barita Investments ended at a 52 weeks’ closing high of $19.50, Salada Foods closed at a 52 weeks’ high of $26 and Radio Jamaica traded at a 52 weeks’ intraday low of 80 cents.
Trading ended with major contraction in the value of trades in the main market, compared to Tuesday’s levels, with 16,795,459 units valued at $285,223,377 versus  9,264,518 units valued at $430,892,380 changing hands on Tuesday.
Trading closed with Wisynco Group leading with 10,860,918 units accounting for 64.67 percent of the day’s volume, followed by Grace Kennedy with 1,515,091 units or 9 percent of total volume traded and Supreme Ventures with 1,278,248 units and 7.6 percent of the day’s volume.
Trading resulted in an average of 559,849 units valued at $9,507,446, in contrast to 330,876 shares valued at $15,389,014 on Tuesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 406,855 shares, valued $7,710,282 and previously, 386,273 shares, valued $7,433,795. September closed, with an average of 1,022,243 shares valued $15,752,876, for each security traded.
In the main market activity, Barita Investments rose 70 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ close at $19.50, trading 8,100 shares, Caribbean Cement rose 86 cents to finish at $49.95, in exchanging 34,400 shares, Grace Kennedy lost 55 cents and ended trading 1,515,091 shares at $60.95, Jamaica Broilers declined by 41 cents in trading 63,380 stock units to close at $32, JMMB Group rose $1 and ended at $37, with 395,580 shares, Kingston Wharves jumped $8 in exchanging 1,670 stock units, to close at $83, Mayberry Investments rose 80 cents to finish at a record $10, trading 101,446 stock units, NCB Financial Group lost $2 and settled at $128, with 159,788 units, 138 Student Living fell 40 cents and closed at $4.60, with 279 stock units trading, Salada Foods jumped $5.29 to a record close of $26 in trading just 200 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund fell 80 cents to end at $14.20, trading 155,029 shares, Sterling Investments dropped $4.30 and closed at $23.30 with 29,383 shares changing hands, Supreme Ventures dived $5.40 to end at $15.50, with 1,278,248 shares changing hands and Wisynco Group rose 40 cents to $10, trading 10,860,918 shares.
Trading in the US dollar market closed with 50,462 units valued at $10,394, changing hands, Proven Investments traded 45,387 shares to close at 22 US cents and Sygnus Credit 5,075 units and rose 0.5 cents to end at 11.5 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index lost 1.02 points to 170.72.