Rising Main Market stocks were near twice the number of declining ones when the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Friday, with the market rising with an exchange of 170 percent more shares than on Thursday.
The All Jamaican Composite Index jumped 5,779.51 points to 414,251.19 and the Main Index climbed 5,231.07 points to 377,798.93, while the JSE Financial Index rose 1.33 points to settle at 99.95.
Trading ended with 42 securities changing hands compared to 41 on Thursday and closed with the prices of 22 stocks rising, 13 declining and seven remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.4 based on the IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 31,504,153 shares for $135,860,726 compared to 11,653,516 units at $352,808,782 on Thursday. Transjamaican Highway led trading with 77.8 percent of total volume, with 24.51 million shares, followed by Wigton Windfarm with 9 percent or 2.83 million units and Eppley Caribbean Property Fund with 3.4 percent as 1.06 million units passed through the market.
Trading ended with an average of 750,099 units changing hands at $3,234,779 for each security compared to an average of 284,232 shares at $8,605,092 on Thursday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 352,010 units at $5,921,197 for each security, in contrast to 316,587 units at $6,160,243. Trading month to date compares favorably to September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 12 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments lost 49 cents to end at $92.01, with 250,373 shares crossing the exchange, Caribbean Cement climbed $3.30 to $48.30 trading 4,854 stock units, Eppley fell to $19.31, with a loss of $1.79, with 8,159 stock units passing through the market. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund declined by $3.83 to close at $45.67, with 1,060,981 shares crossing the exchange, First Rock Capital lost 30 cents to finish at $12.50 and cleared the market with 9,900 stock units, Jamaica Broilers rose $1.80 to settle at $26.90, in exchanging 1,810 units. Jamaica Producers gained 40 cents to close at $20.40 after clearing the market with 25,690 shares, Key Insurance rose 80 cents to $9.60 trading 48,771 shares, Kingston Wharves gained $1.85 to close at $46.85, with 122 units changing hands. Mayberry Investments picked up 30 cents to settle at $6, trading 35,400 shares, 
Palace Amusement dropped $50 in closing at $1,150, with a transfer of 53 units, Pan Jam Investment fell $1.95 to $68.05 after trading 6,373 stock units. Proven Investments gained $1.60 to end at $40.20 with an exchange of 1,944 stock units, Pulse Investments lost 49 cents in closing at $4.30, after the transfer of 497,426 shares, Sagicor Group rose $1.52 to end at $45.72, with 23,582 stock units changing hands. Scotia Group climbed $2.06 to $48.44, trading 127,877 shares, Seprod settled at $59, with gains of $2.02 with the transfer of 44,146 shares, Stanley Motta gained 35 cents to close at $5, in exchanging 22,854 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments finished 90 cents higher at $18.90, with 20,338 stock units crossing the market, Victoria Mutual Investments gained 46 cents to settle at $6 after exchanging 169,424 shares and Wisynco Group lost 39 cents to close at $16.11, trading 71,146 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
