Friday, 12 July 2013 | In Friday’s activity, stocks of 26 companies traded 8.5 million units valued at $53.32 million, quite a bit more than Thursday’s $30 million. The advance decline ratio remained even as the prices of 9 stocks each moved up and down. All the indices that had actively traded stocks posted moderate gains by the end of trading. There were no changes in US dollar cross listed indices and no trades taking place in these stocks. Proven Investments Preference shares was the most dominant traded with 4.91 million shares worth $25 million.
Trades of note Main Market | The all Jamaica Index put on 468.82 points to close at 88,174.96 and the JSE market index moved up by 266.31 to close at 86,944.14. Sagicor Life, which accounted for1.185 million shares valued at $10.14 million, was the other dominant trader with the stock trading between $8.50 and $8.60 before closing at $8.50. The bulk of the shares were crosses executed by Pan Caribbean Financial Services. Scotia Group traded 223,000 shares valued at $4.885 million as the stock closed the day at $22, up 90 cents. Pan Jamaican Investment Trust traded 53,705 shares valued at $2.77 million between $51.11 and $52 but closed unchanged at $51.11. Grace Kennedy traded down $2.29 at $57.21 as 81,350 units traded valued at $4.79 million.
Junior market | 7 stocks in the junior market traded as 3 advanced and 3 declined. Blue Power traded 216,016 units valued a $2.18 million as the stock traded between $10.10 and $10.15 before closing at $10.10. At the close there were 100,000 Blue Power shares on offer at $10.50. Lasco Distributors traded 476,710 shares between $1.55 and $1.60 but closed at $1.55 off 5 cents. Lasco Manufacturing traded 807,469 units between $1.60 and $1.70 and closed at $1.66 and Lasco Financial traded up 5 cents to close at $1.35 with 138,800 units. Paramount closed at $3.50 up 20 cents with only 5,000 shares trading. There was no stock on offer at the close. KLE Group closed at $2.60, an all-time low, as 30,000 shares traded off by 10 cents.
Market intelligence | Lasco Distributors has 1.14 million units on offer at $1.60 with a bid for 1,740 units at $1.55. Good support is at $1.40. Lasco Manufacturing and Lasco Financial seem to have limited supply. Cable & Wireless selling continues, but the sellers seem to be holding out for prices at 14 cents or more as the amounts offered at 15 cents remain at 29 million shares. There has been very little change since last week while the quantities for the few bids that are in have not increased much. Desnoes & Geddes has 1 million shares on offer at $5.18 along with 200,000 at $5 as reasonable demand is at $4.70. RJR still has a bid at $1.23 for 4.9 million units, there has not been much change to the supply. Good support exists for Sagicor Life at $8.40, while supply is limited below $9.30. Carreras support is pretty good at $53.50 and more bids have come in for the stock near to $54 as supply of the stock declines.
Grace Kennedy’s supply of 700,000 units at $61 still remains as a barrier for upward price movement for the time being as demand has declined sharply leading to the fall in the price today. The price could fall more unless Grace’s buy-back program kicks in as there is very few serious bids in for the stock close to the recent selling price. There are good bids in the market for JMMB’s stock between $7.85 and just over $8, decent supply is listed at $10.50 and above. Scotia Group supply is surely on the decline with some supply above $22. Scotia Investments sold today in Trinidad for the equivalent of $30.19 with the price there looking as if it will move up further as investors in that market look for income generating assets. At the present price, the stock would be yielding 6 percent in a market where long term yields are under two percent.
IC bid-offer Indicator | At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer market indicator shows that bids for 6 stocks were higher with 1 stock having an offer lower than the last selling price. This is the strongest this signal has been since the last week of June, an indication that the market could be resuming the upward momentum in the days or weeks ahead.
Insider Trades | A related party to Mayberry Investments Limited purchased a total of 995,602 of the company’s shares during the period July 4 – 9, 2013 and a person connected to a senior officer of Trinidad Cement Limited purchased 108,000 of the company’s shares on July 8, 2013. These could be two bullish indicators for the shares of these two companies.
