Thursday, 17th October 2013 | In a very slow day on the Jamaica Stock Market. Trading took place for 5,330,792 shares valued at $73,871,824 as the market indices saw another day of decline in the Main Market index of 393.47 to close at 82,075.01 while the all Jamaica index which closed at 80,104.39, fell by 692.31. The junior market index bucked the general of trend of a weak market and moved up by 5.96 to 754.76. Only stocks of 22 companies traded, with 6 rising and 7 falling.
Main Market | Carreras, which has been under relentless selling pressure from July, saw trading in 37,087 units with a value of $1,477,645 and closed at $39.50 gaining $1.50 in the process; Jamaica Money Market Brokers had 500,000 units changing hands at $8.50 with value of $4,248,000. The stock traded on the Trinidad Stock Exchange earlier in the day as high as J$11.20 and seems poised to move higher in coming days. National Commercial Bank traded 611,451 units with a value of $10,428,958 to close at $18 up $1.25; Sagicor Life had 307,190 units valued at $2,527,187 to close at $8.20; Scotia Group 2,548,259 shares to traded was valued at $50,968,068 and closed down 50 cents at $20. Reports from the market is that a pension fund is liquidating their assets and could be the cause of the decline in some of the prices over the past two weeks rather than a general weakness in the market.
Proven Investments 8% preference shares traded 439,900 units with a value of $2,239,091 to close at $5.09.
Junior Market | Blue Power traded 8,966 units to close firm at $9.28; Caribbean Cream traded 52,436 units at $1; Caribbean Flavours traded 420,746 units to close at $2.70, up by 12 cents; Lasco Distributors exchanged 24,500 units to end at $1.50; Lasco Financial Services traded 18,897 units and closed at $1.19 while Lasco Manufacturing exchanged 330,233 units to close at $1.50.
IC bid-offer Indicator | At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator showed continued weak sentiment with the bid for only 1 stock being higher and 6 stocks with offers lower than their last selling price.
