The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Tuesday with the worse performance in its ten-year history. The market fell as much as 39.3 percent at one stage during the month and 45 percent from the peak in August last year, to record the worse decline in its history, from the peak to the bottom.
At the close of trading for March, the Junior Market Index climbed 51.34 points to 2,304.14 to claw back 210 points in the last three days of the massive 818 points loss the market suffered on March 26. At the end of the month, the market shed 31 percent for the year to date after declining 21 percent for the month.
Market activities closed with 33 securities changing hands and resulting in the prices of 17 securities advancing, seven declining and nine closing unchanged and 14,255,673 units valued at $34,934,660 crossed the exchange compared to 8,601,172 units valued at $20,333,956 on Monday.
Trading ended with an average of 431,990 units for $1,058,626 for each security traded, in contrast to 232,464 units, for an average of $549,566 on Monday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 226,225 units valued at $542,563 and previously 216,579 units valued at $508,797. Trading in February closed with an average of 167,673 units valued at $488,038 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows nine stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close of the market, Access Financial jumped $6 to end at $26 after trading 18,818 shares, Cargo Handlers fell 30 cents in trading 400 units at $5.70, Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 19 cents to end at $2.11 with 86,765 stock unit crossing the market. Caribbean Flavours climbed $1.50 to settle at $10.50, with 60,122 shares changing hands, Caribbean Producers ended market activity exchanging 10,368,364 shares to close at $2.32, after falling 8 cents, Consolidated Bakeries fell 20 cents in trading of 99,000 units at $1.35. Elite Diagnostic rose 20 cents to close at $3.30, with 34,433 stock units changing hands, Everything Fresh climbed 17 cents exchanging 23,015 shares at 77 cents, Express Catering shed 5 cents in trading of 72,781 units at $3.13. Fontana closed 19 cents higher at $4.99, with 758,475 stock units trading, Fosrich ended trading with 19,700 shares, after rising 29 cents to end at $2.89. Honey Bun ended with 43,393 shares changing hands, after gaining 50 cents to close at $6.50, iCreate rose 1 cent and exchanged 400 shares at 51 cents, 
Indies Pharma closed 45 cents higher at $2.45, with 170,125 stock units changing hands, Iron Rock Insurance lost 45 cents in trading 10,658 shares to close at $3. KLE Group picked up 20 cents and exchanged just 880 shares at $1.45, Knutsford Express closed trading of a mere two units and gained 65 cents to end at $8.65. Lasco Financial closed trading of 98,998 units with gains of 40 cents to close at $2.95, Lasco Manufacturing closed trading of 119,295 units, after picking up 28 cents to finish at $3.18. Limners and Bards rose 22 cents and exchanged 131,091 shares at $2.28, Lumber Depot closed 3 cents higher at $1.18, with 21,273 stock units trading. MailPac traded 1,469,821 shares, after rising 9 cents to end at $1.69, Main Event gained 1 cent to close at $4.52, after 700 shares crossed the exchange, Paramount Trading declined by 4 cents to settle at $1.94, with 249 units changing hands.
Prices quoted for trades are those of the last transaction for the trading day.
