JSE main market inched higher – Friday

Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended Friday with JSE All Jamaican Composite Index added just 163.58 points to end at 418,809.04 and the JSE Index advanced 148.65 points to 381,578.24, with a decline advance ratio of 7 to 4.
At the close of the main and US markets, 30 securities traded, compared to 32 on Thursday leading to just 8 advancing, 14 declining and 8 closing unchanged.
Trading ended with just 2,536,555 units valued $102,402,822 compared to just 1,499,809 units valued a mere $37,984,293 crossing the exchange on Thursday.
JMMB Group 7.25% preference share led with 632,975 shares, accounting for 25 percent of total main market volume, followed by NCB Financial Group with 406,921 units with 16 percent of the day’s trades and Sagicor Real Estate X Fund with a mere 173,989 units or 7 percent of volume traded.
Market activity ended with an average of 84,552 units at $3,413,427 for each security traded, in contrast to 49,994 shares valued at $1,266,143 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 161,222 shares at $2,467,500 for each security, compared to 168,967 shares at $2,360,413 previously. Trading for March resulted in an average of 438,501 shares at $9,851,307, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the reading showing 5 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments dived $3.50 to close at $39.50, with a 103,722 shares changing hands, Berger Paints lost 73 cents, ending at $20.20, with 50,058 stock units trading, Caribbean Cement fell 48 cents to finish at $63.52, with 37,457 shares changing hands, Grace Kennedy traded 18,650 stock units and lost 35 cents to close at $59.55.   Jamaica Broilers dropped $1.20 to close at $30, with 57,256 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers  climbed $1.85 to close at $23.40, trading 12,239 shares, Mayberry Investments  lost 50 cents trading 7,607 shares at $8.50, NCB Financial took back the 99 cents it lost on Thursday to settle at $145, trading 406,921 units. PanJam Investments lost 70 cents and finished at $81, with 97,266 shares crossing the exchange, Sagicor Group rose $1 in trading 154,414 shares to close at $38.15 after rising to $41 in early trading. Sagicor Real Estate Fund exchanged 173,989 shares to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $9.50, after falling 41 cents, Supreme Ventures lost $1 and finished at $25, with 42,324 units changing hands and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 98 cents trading 130,717 units to close at $11.98. There was no trading in the US dollar market.