JSE main market drop

The major indices on the Jamaica Stock Exchange lost more ground on Monday following Friday’s 5,000 points fall as trading resulted in lower volumes and higher value passing through the market, with investors having some new stock offers in which to invest.
At the close of trading, the All Jamaican Composite Index shedding 3,914.87 points to close at 547,614.48, while the JSE Index dropped 3,497.38 points to 498,675.40 and the JSE Financial Index lost 1.38 points to close at 134.92.
The market closed with 40 securities changing hands in the main and US dollar markets with 7 rising, 21 declining and 12 closing unchanged. Main market activity ended with 37 securities accounting for 26,997,864 units valued at $314,531,311 in contrast to 43,823,390 units for $226,040,673 on Friday, from 33 securities.
Sagicor Select Funds dominated trading with 12.4 million shares for 46 percent of total volume, followed by Wigton Windfarm with 7 million units accounting for 25.8 percent of the day’s trade and Jamaica Broilers with 2.3 million shares and 8.4 percent. QWI Investments traded 1.2 million shares and Sagicor Group 1 million units to be the other entities trading more than a million shares.
The market closed with an average of 729,672 units valued at an average of $8,500,846 for each security traded. In contrast to 1,327,982 units for an average of 6,849,717 on Friday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 533,330 units valued at $4,098,200 and previously, an average of 516,075 units valued at $3,676,184 for each security changing hands. The market closed out October with an average of 957,488 units valued at $13,947,047 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 9 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 7 with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 17.3, with the main market stocks ending at 18 times 2019 current year’s earnings.
In main market activity, Barita Investments closed 70 cents lower to $70.30 in trading 3,527 shares, Berger Paints dropped $1 to settle at $17, after exchanging 57,618 units, Caribbean Cement lost 50 cents swapping 180,833 shares, to end at $75. Carreras gained 44 cents to close at $8.74, with 51,623 shares changing hands, Eppley closed $1.84 lower to $14.16 with 1,310 units crossing the exchange, Grace Kennedy dropped $2 in ending at $63 and trading 38,275 shares, Jamaica Broilers slid $2 and closing at $33 with of 2,264,273 shares changing hands. Jamaica Stock Exchange dropped $4.80 to settle at $28.20, after swapping 329,832 shares, following the release of nine results last week, showing the stock price to be overly extended, at a PE ratio of well over 30. Kingston Wharves fell 50 cents to $60 with 2,974 units changing hands, Mayberry Investments lost $2 to close at $8, with 300,000 units traded, Mayberry Jamaican Equities ended the day’s trade at $11.25, after losing 75 cents with an exchange of 4,126 units. NCB Financial gained to close at $210 after trading 240,157 units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund added 50 cents to end at $11.30 with 35,054 shares crossed the exchange, Scotia Group declined 55 cents to end at $55, in trading 379,879 shares. Stanley Motta lost 55 cents to close at $5.45, with 2,000 shares crossing the exchange, Supreme Ventures ended at $26, falling 50 cents and trading 48.778 units, ending the day’s trade at $23 and Wisynco Group settled at $23 after falling 50 cents and previously trading as high as $26, early in the trading session with 616,356 shares changing hands. The increased interest comes as reports are that the company is enjoying strong sales in the final quarter of the year.
Trading in the US dollar market closed with 475,526 units valued at US$135,657, with the market declining 13.24 points to close at 208.70. Proven Investments gained 2.5 US cents to close at a 52 weeks’ closing high of 33 US cents after exchanging 445,794 units, Sterling Investments closed at 2.2 US cents after falling 0.2 US cents in trading 22,803 units and Sygnus Credit Investments closed at 14 US cents with 6,929 units changing hands.