Junior Market declines into 2H

Junior Market stocks ran out of steam at the commencement of trading in the second half of the year and could not add to a b 5.2 percent gain last week, resulting in a minor 23 points fall in the market index on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Monday. Trading ended with an 82 percent drop in the volume of stocks traded, with an 89 percent lower value than Friday following trading in 45 securities up from 41 on Friday and ending with prices of 11 rising, 23 declining and 11 closing unchanged.
EduFocal traded at an intraday low of 50 cents. CAC 2000 ended trading at a 52 weeks’ low of $2.94 and so did Paramount Trading in closing at $1.10.
The market closed with trading of 8,840,186 shares for $12,066,585 compared with 50,135,125 units at $113,211,858 on Friday.
Trading averaged 196,449 shares at $268,146 compared with 1,222,808 units at $2,761,265 on Friday and June with an average of 318,732 units at $696,979.
EduFocal led trading with 3.82 million shares for 43.2 percent of total volume followed by Spur Tree Spices with 1.29 million units for 14.6 percent of the day’s trade and ONE on ONE Educational with 571,549 stocks for 6.5 percent market share.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index fell 23.11 points to end the day at 3,820.12.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.9, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close, Derrimon Trading dipped 12 cents in closing at $2.15 in an exchange of 40,983 stocks, Dolla Financial lost 38 cents to close at $2.62 with investors trading 25,148 units, Express Catering fell 34 cents to finish at $3.65, with 131,475 shares changing hands. Fosrich skidded 11 cents and ended at $2.28 as investors exchanged 239,343 stock units, Future Energy slipped 30 cents to end at $3.35 with a transfer of 184,930 shares, Indies Pharma dropped 22 cents to close at $2.57 after 22,397 units were traded. ISP Finance shed $2.50 to $27.45 after just one stock crossed the market, JFP Ltd declined 10 cents to end at $1.16 after a transfer of 395,242 stock units, Knutsford Express rallied $1.20 in closing at $11.20, with 2,678 shares crossing the market. Lasco Financial increased 22 cents to finish at $2.17 in an exchange of 510 stocks, Limners and Bards slipped 7 cents and ended at $1.48 after 20,907 units passed through the market, Spur Tree Spices fell 10 cents to close at $2.20 trading of 1,291,745 stock units and tTech climbed 25 cents to $2.35 with 3,831 shares clearing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.