Stocks moved higher at the close of trading with the Junior Market Index advancing 20.25 points to 2,796.97 on Friday to be up 5.8 percent for the year so far after more stocks rose than declined following a 69 percent decline in the volume of shares passing through the exchange with 97 percent drop in value compared with Thursday.
Trading ended with 38 securities changing hands, up from 34 on Thursday and closed with 15 stocks rising, nine declining and 14 remaining unchanged.
At the close, the average PE Ratio ended at 14.3 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Trading closed with an exchange of 7,184,445 shares for $21,275,826 compared to 23,334,216 units at $62,643,592 on Thursday.
Mailpac Group was the volume leader with 31.3 percent of total volume after investors swapped 2.25 million shares followed by Lumber Depot with 23 percent for 1.65 million units and Derrimon Trading with 12 .7 percent with 914,014 units.
Trading averaged 189,064 units at $559,890 in contrast to 686,300 at $1,842,459 on Thursday. Month to date trading averaged 307,465 units at $811,066, compared to 338,928 units at $877,812 on Thursday. January closed with an average of 232,651 units at $569,885.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At close of trading, Access Financial rose $1 to $22, with the swapping of 1,045 units, Blue Power lost 25 cents to close at $2.80, in exchanging 11,345 units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers shed 5 cents to settle at $1.80, with a transfer of 3,500 stock units. Caribbean Cream fell 9 cents to $5, after the swapping of 5,481 stocks, Caribbean Producers gained 12 cents to close at $2.75, with 26,449 shares changing hands, Consolidated Bakeries ended 9 cents lower at $1.32 trading 86,405 units. Elite Diagnostic slipped 20 cents to $2.75, with an exchange of 3,930 shares, General Accident rose 12 cents to $6.05 transferring 2,000 stock units, Jamaican Teas climbed 6 cents to close at $2.75, with 552,675 units crossing the market. 
Knutsford Express closed at $6.75, with gains of 45 cents after trading 3,557 stock units, Lasco Distributors picked up 15 cents to end at $3.40 in exchanging 55,501 shares, Lasco Manufacturing gained 12 cents to finish at $4.32, with 157,640 stocks clearing the market and Medical Disposables rose 30 cents ending at $4.50, with 36,214 shares crossing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
