Stocks trading started out with spirited early movements on Friday taking the market up by 2,978 points at 8 minutes into the trading session to sit just below the mid-March close, but the market slipped thereafter, with All Jamaican Composite Index hanging to 1,524.26 points to settle at 448,121.05, the JSE Main Index rose up by 1,331.40 points at 408,023.02 and the JSE Financial Index climbed 0.47 points to settle at 100.39, with the majority of price movements ending in favour of falling stocks.
Trading ended with 53 securities compared to 45 on Thursday and ended with 13 rising, 22 declining and 18 remaining unchanged. The PE Ratio, based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings, averages 16.5.
Trading ended with an exchange of 82 percent more shares valued 77 percent higher than on Thursday as 16,976,414 shares for $141,423,527 compared to 9,318,055 units at $79,985,841 on Thursday. JMMB Group 7.5% preference share led trading with 40.6 percent of total volume for an exchange of 6.88 million shares followed by Wigton Windfarm with 14.8 percent for 2.5 million units, Jamaica Broilers 10.8 percent, with 1.83 million units and Transjamaican Highway with 6.1 percent for 1.04 million units changing hands.
Trading averaged 320,310 units at $2,668,368, compared to an average of 207,068 shares at $1,777,463 on Thursday. Month to date trading averages 234,200 units at $1,772, 561, in contrast to 229,207 units at $1,720,616 on Thursday. March averaged 354,304 units at $2,543,232.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has seven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Caribbean Cement fell $1.25 in closing at $88 with 91,088 shares changing hands, Carreras gained 36 cents to end at $9.95 after clearing the market with 257,861 units. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dipped 26 cents to end at $40.74 with 1,691 stocks crossing the market. First Rock Capital advanced $1.55 to $17.45 in an exchange of 122,961 units, Jamaica Broilers declined $2.50 to $28.50 with the swapping of 1,830,085 shares, Jamaica Producers shed 45 cents to close at $28 after 8,381 stock units crossed the exchange. Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 20 cents to finish at $17.95 in trading 40,396 shares, Key Insurance closed 33 cents lower at $5.61 with 248,172 units changing hands, Kingston Properties rose $1.12 to end at $8.57 in clearing the market with 1,743 stocks. Margaritaville declined $1.10 to settle at a 52 weeks’ low of $21 in the transfer of 15,002 units, Mayberry Jamaican Equities gained 40 cents to close at $7.95 in exchanging 17,902 shares. NCB Financial Group fell $1 to $139 with the swapping of 63,842 units, Palace Amusement dropped $70 to close at $880 in trading 5 shares, Pan Jam Investment shed $1 to end at $64 in switching ownership of 9,466 units. 
Proven Investments closed 23 cents lower at $37.77 in an exchange of 6,043 shares, Sagicor Group advanced $2.50 to $52.50 with 139,229 units changing hands. Salada Foods ended 41 cents higher at a 52 weeks’ high of $7.41 in an exchange of 137,535 shares, Stanley Motta shed 50 cents to close at $5.90, with 19,000 stocks crossing the exchange, Supreme Ventures closed 52 cents lower at $17.47 with a transfer of 419,230 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments fell 58 cents to finish at $6.82 in exchanging 233,240 units.
In the preference segment, Productive Business Solutions 9.75% preference share dropped 99 cents to close at $109.51 in switching ownership of 99 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
