JSE trading picks up Friday

Trading picked up further on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday, with 2,798,965 units valued $103,358,114 compared 3,487,141 units valued at $63,034,296 changing hands on Thursday.
The main and US dollar markets, had 33 securities changing hands, with prices of 7 rising, 16 declining with 10 remaining unchanged, compared to 32 securities trading on Thursday.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator suggest that the market could enjoy strong gains on Monday with the reading showing 17 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and only 1 closing with a lower offer.
Market activity led to the All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 1,774.48 points to 414,328.09 and the JSE Index advanced by 1,616.75 points to close at 377,499.74.
Scotia Group led trading with 551,291 units and 19.70 percent of the day’s volume, followed by Seprod with 442,081 units or 15.8 percent of the volume changing hands and Grace Kennedy with 367,707 units with units accounting for 13.14 percent of the day’s volume.
An average of 93,299 units valued at over $3,445,270, in contrast to 120,246 shares valued at $2,173,596 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 55,273 units valued at $1,525,800 compared to 50,226 units valued at $1,233,495, previously. Trading for December ended, with an average of 835,037 units with a value of $25,906,477, for each security traded.
In main market activity, Barita Investments shed $1.07 and closed at $50.43, with just 510 shares traded, Jamaica Broilers lost $1 and finished trading at $28, with 35,857 units, Jamaica Producers rose $1.50 to close at $22.50, with 1,536 shares changing hands. JMMB Group lost $1.48 and concluded trading of 8,480 shares at $32.50, Kingston Wharves dropped $1.95 to $75.50, with 807 units changing hands. PanJam Investment declined 50 cents to end at $70, trading 39,228 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund  shed 95 cents, while trading 52,515 shares, to close at $10.05,  Salada Foods  traded 11,964 units at $31.51. Scotia Group  traded 551,291 shares after gaining $2.98 to close at $54.99, Seprod gained 25 cents and closed at $30.25, trading 442,081 shares, Stanley Motta traded 12,700 shares, but fell 75 cents to end at $4.25 and Supreme Ventures, gained 50 cents to end at $19.50, with 17,332 stock units changing hands.
Trading in the US dollar market resulted in 40,984 units valued at $43,283 units. JMMB Group 6% preference shares traded 24,139 units to close at $1.05, followed by and JMMB Group 5.75% preference share traded 8,000 units to close at US$2 and Proven Investments that rose 0.1 cent in trading 8,845 units at 21.90 US cents after falling 0.01 cent. The JSE USD Equities Index was unchanged at the close at 166.86.