Trading picked dropped sharply on Wednesday, leading to a 50 percent fall in the volume of stocks passing through the exchange worth 58 percent less than Tuesday’s trades on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, but the market continued its advance to the highest level since it closed at 2,922.18 on February 27, last year.
The Junior Market Index rose 10.75 points to close at 2,918.23 to be up 10.4 percent for the year to date. Early in the morning session, the index hit a 2,949.48 points level that is higher than the close on February 21, last year.
Trading ended with 39 securities down from 41 on Tuesday, with 18 rising, 13 declining and eight remaining unchanged.
The average PE Ratio ends at 15.8 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Investors traded 6,761,477 shares for $17,884,137 compared to 13,487,893 units at $42,784,456 on Tuesday.
Derrimon Trading led the market with 16.8 percent of total volume with 1.14 million shares, followed by Tropical Battery with 13.1 percent or 886,995 units and Caribbean Flavours with 11 percent and 741,946 stock units.
Trading averaged 173,371 units at $458,568 in contrast to 328,973 at $1,043,523 on Tuesday. Trading month to date averages 363,591 units at $903,906, down from 376,123 units at $933,244 on Tuesday. January closed with an average of 232,651 units at $569,885.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial shed $2.50 to end at $21 with an exchange of 4,599 stock units, AMG Packaging rose 17 cents to $1.80 with 11,341 stocks changing hands, Caribbean Cream rose 5 cents to $4.70 with 4,485 shares passing through the market. Caribbean Flavours rose 5 cents to $2, trading 741,946 units, Caribbean Producers dropped 47 cents to $3.53 with a transfer of 232,034 stocks, Express Catering fell 12 cents to $3.50 with investors switching ownership of 47,207 stock units. Fontana gained 7 cents to close at $6.07 with an exchange of 310,702 units, Fosrich rose 10 cents to $4.30 with 60,214 shares changing hands, General Accident slipped 5 cents to $5.50 with 31,100 shares passing through the market. iCreate advanced 16 cents to 81 cents with 691,952 shares traded, Indies Pharma dropped 15 cents to $3.25 with a transfer of 538,426 stocks, Iron Rock Insurance declined 5 cents to $3.70 with an exchange of 624 units. ISP Finance jumped $3.30 to $25.30 with 59 shares changing hands, KLE Group gained 7 cents to close at $1.40 with 3,345 shares passing through the market, Knutsford Express shed 62 cents to $6.18 trading 3,500 stocks. 
Lasco Distributors climbed 22 cents to $3.87 with a transfer of 136,000 shares, Lasco Financial rose 10 cents to $2.60 with an exchange of 19,750 units, Lasco Manufacturing fell 12 cents to $4.26 with 282,351 units changing hands. Mailpac Group gained 13 cents to finish at $3.62 with 480,450 stock units passing through the market, Main Event fell 27 cents to $3.30, trading 9 shares, Stationery and Office Supplies increased by 18 cents to settle at $4.53 with a transfer of 300 stock units and tTech advanced 20 cents to close at $4.90 with 4,201 shares crossing the exchange.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
