West Indies Petroleum rallied $1.69 on Friday to a new record high with a P/E of 244 times 2024 earnings and helped to lift the major indices of the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange to a new 2026 high. At the end of trading, the prices of 34 shares rose, 41 declined and 44 remained firm. The market closed with a rise in the volume of stocks changing hands, at a lower value than on Thursday. The Junior Market index dipped marginally and the JSE USD Market rose.
At the close of the market, the JSE Combined Market Index increased 1,211.99 points to end at 337,768.41, the All Jamaican Composite Index rose 1,867.15 points to wrap up trading at 378,571.06, the JSE Main Index climbed by 1,332.55 points to settle at 328,034.97, while the Junior Market Index slipped 8.90 points to 3,360.34 and the JSE USD Market Index rose 1.30 points to settle at 222.46.
At the close of trading, 32,406,419 shares were exchanged in all three markets, up from 30,783,086 units on Thursday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounted to $102.31 million, down from $273.92 million on the previous day and the JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 206,954 shares for US$51,717 compared to 226,379 units at US$16,867 on Thursday.
In Main Market activity, Innovative Energy led with 8.61 million shares, followed by Transjamaican Highway with 5.10 million stock units and Sagicor Select Manufacturing & Distribution Fund with 1.04 million units.
In Junior Market trading, AMG Packaging led with 7.24 million shares, followed by Kintyre Holdings with 2.83 million stock units and Derrimon Trading with 625,431 units.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.25% preference share climbed $1.20 to $19, 138 Student Living preference share rose $11 to close at $201 and Sygnus Credit Investments 10% sank $4 to end at $106.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to value stocks, ended at 14.4 based on projected 2026-27 earnings and 15.6 computed using historical 2025 earnings, excluding major one time income or expense.
The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help in investment decisions. The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, allowing for easy comparisons within a sector and the overall market.
Pertinent information is required to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The chart should be used in making rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the sector average, not being too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals, while not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock as is now the case with West Indies Petroleum, with the price now several times that of the average in the market.
The net asset value of each company is incorporated into the chart. Investors can use this measure in assessing stock values. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices. Dividends that are paid or are due to be paid and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume of the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.