JSE main market decline continues

The more than 11,000 points sharp decline of the Jamaica Stock Exchange main market indices last week continued on Monday, as volume and value dropped compared to that on Friday.
The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index ended with a fall of 2,448.77 points to close at 537,510.00, the JSE Index declined by 2,178.75 points to 489,438.87 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.24 points to close at 133.95.
At the close of trading, 38 securities changed hands in the main and US dollar markets with 14 advancing, 14 declining and 6 trading firm. Main market activity ended with 35 securities trading 48,237,597 units valued at $136,439,498, in contrast to 64,041,525 units valued at $1,348,335,010 on Friday with 33 securities trading.
Wigton Windfarm dominated trading with 41.85 million shares for 87 percent of total volume, followed by Sagicor Select Funds with 3.46 million units accounting for 7 percent of the day’s trade and Scotia Group with 590,136 shares for 1 percent of the market’s trade.
The market closed with an average of 1,378,217 units valued at an average of $3,898,271 for each security traded, in contrast to 1,960,652 units valued at an average of $40,858,637 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 961,280 units valued at $13,958,606 and previously an average of 946,164 units valued at $14,531,873 for each security traded. The market closed out September with an average of 1,585,081 units valued at $14,071,562 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 10 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 16.1 with the main market ending at 16.7 times 2019 current year’s earnings.
In main market activity, Barita Investments lost 60 cents to close at $73.50 while 4,852 shares were traded, Caribbean Cement jumped $5.51 to close at $77.50 with 166,784 shares changing hands after the company posted third quarter results showing lower revenues than for the same quarter in 2018. Net profit was just $77 million or 9 cents per share for the quarter and $1.85 for the nine months period versus $1.34 per share in 2018. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund traded 3,000 shares and dropped $4.49 to end at $35.01, Eppley ended at $15, after losing $1.85 trading a mere 630 shares, Jamaica Broilers swapped 24,699 shares, closing $2.90 lower at $33.10. Jamaica Producers gained 50 cents, after exchanging just 100 shares to settle at $22.50, JMMB Group rose $2.30 to close at $41.80, with 9,182 shares changing hands. Kingston Wharves dived $2.59 to $57.41, after trading 2,412 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy jumped $19.99 in trading 100 shares to end at a record high of $220, Portland JSX climbed 50 cents to $8.50, in swapping 4,500 shares. Proven Investments traded 1,564 shares, gaining $1.40 to end at $42.40, Sagicor Group closed 25 cents higher at $66.25 with an exchange of 160,664 shares, Salada Foods advanced by $3.25 to close at $29.30 with 2,550 shares changing hands. Scotia Group lost 42.10 to close at $53 while trading 590,136 shares, Seprod lost $2 to settle at $50.50 with 936 units crossing the exchange, Sygnus Credit Investments lost 60 cents, in ending at $21.40 with an exchange of 104,628 shares and VM Investments lost 24 cents and  closed $7.75, after trading 199,482 shares.
Trading in the US dollar market ended with 197,701 units valued at over US$33,784 with the market index gaining 1.47 points to close at 194.82. In trading, JMMB Group gained 2 cents settled at US$2.02 with 3,769 shares, Proven Investments closed with 9,664 units changing hands at 26 US cents and Sygnus Credit Investments exchanged 134,268 shares and gained 2 US cents to end at 13.99 US cents.