JSE main market slips

Main market indices declined again on Thursday, with the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 893.74 points to close at 551,020.45, while the JSE Index lost 809.86 points to 501,805.90 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.26 points to close at 136.55.
The market closed with 39 securities changing hands in the main and US dollar markets with 15 advancing, 17 declining and 7 trading firm. Main market activity ended with 36 securities accounting for 36,435,491 units valued at $481,608,400, in contrast to 70,895,481 units valued at $2,991,514,213 on Wednesday from 39 securities.
Sagicor Select Funds dominated trading with 13.4 million shares for 37 percent of total volume, followed by Wigton Windfarm with 7.7 million units accounting for 21 percent of the day’s trade and JMMB Group with 3.9 million shares and 10.6 percent. Other stocks trading more than 1 million shares were Jamaica Broilers, QWI Investments and Scotia Group.
The market closed with an average of 1,012,097 units valued at an average of $13,378,011 for each security traded, in contrast to 1,916,094 units for an average of $80,851,735 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 665,757 units valued at $10,132,205 and previously, an average of 642,143 units valued at $9,895,189 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 8 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 17.1, with the main market ending at 18.6 times 2019 current year’s earnings.
In main market activity, Berger Paints slipped $1 to $16 with 78,509 shares crossing the exchange, Caribbean Cement gained $1.04 to end at $75.04 after trading 51,100 stock units, Carreras lost 45 cents to settle at $8.05 in transferring 53,360 units. Grace Kennedy closed at $64.30 after rising $1.79 in swapping 254,917 shares, Jamaica Broilers climbed $3 to $38, with 3,020,762 units traded. Jamaica Producers closed $1 lower to $23 trading 3,079 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange rose $1.75 to close at $30.25, with 36,759 shares changing hands, JMMB Group lost 55 cents to close at $44.95 in exchanging 3,860,966 stock units, Kingston Wharves slid $3.25 to $57.25, while trading 3,998 units. Mayberry Investments gained $1.22 to settle at $8.50, in swapping 114,397 shares, Mayberry Jamaican Equities closed at $13, after climbing $1.29 and trading 247,379 units. 138 Student Living rose to $3.50, gaining 45 cents while exchanging 1,843 units, PanJam Investment slid $2 to $102, with 97,750 shares crossing the exchange, Proven Investments gained $2 to end at $47, trading 16,199 units. Sagicor Group gained 47 cents to close at $64.99, after transferring 31,573 shares, Salada Foods lost 50 cents to settle at $31.50, with 100 units changing hands. Scotia Group rose $2.55 to end at $55.55, in swapping 1,515,643 shares, Seprod lost 95 cents, ending the day at $51.05 with an exchange of 14,998 units and Wisynco Group closed 99 cents lower to settle at $24 after trading 164,160 shares.
Trading in the US dollar market closed with 33,767 units valued at US$9,544, with the market index rising 5.33 points to close at 215.54. Proven Investments closed 0.5 US cents higher to 31 US cents trading 19,102 shares, Sygnus Investments exchanged 13,915 units at 14 US cents and JMMB Group 5.75% preference shares lost 2 US cents to end the day’s trade at US$2 with 750 units changing hands.