Junior Market gets big hit in March
The Junior Market got another body blow on Thursday with the market index sinking a further 102.35 points on top of the 100 point drop on Wednesday to close at 2,656.41 for a decline of 27 percent below August 2019 peak. The day ended with almost five times as many falling stocks as those advancing and closed with seven securities trading at 52 weeks’ lows. Trading ended with 36 securities changing hands and leading to the prices of 24 stocks declining, just four advancing and eight remaining unchanged.
Trading concluded on Thursday with an exchange of 4,570,211 units valued at $14,248,217 compared to 4,395,557 units valued at $10,234,154 on Wednesday. The PE ratio of the market ended at 12.7 times 2019 earnings.
Trading ended with an average of 126,950 units at $395,784 for each security traded in contrast to 125,587 units for an average of $292,404 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 161,273 units valued at $342,583 and previously 115,778 units valued at $324,168. In contrast, February closed with an average of 167,673 units valued at $488,038 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading was negative with a reading of two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and eight with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial exchanged 8,848 shares at 52 weeks’ low of $23.75 after falling $2.11, AMG Packaging closed 10 cents higher at $1.90 with 5,144 stock units trading, Blue Power lost 56 cents in trading of 11,170 units at $4. Cargo Handlers fell 92 cents to $7.06 with 4,137 units traded, Caribbean Cream dropped 23 cents in trading of 8,919 units to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $3.07, Caribbean Producers exchanged 51,300 shares to close at $3.90 after falling 10 cents. Derrimon Trading shed 1 cent to end at $1.95 with 252,202 stock units changing hands, Elite Diagnostic dipped 9 cents in trading of 68,896 units at $4.01, Everything Fresh slipped 3 cents to 82 cents in the exchange of 205,300 units. Express Catering fell 46 cents in trading of 166,287 units at $4.39, Fosrich declined 4 cents to a 52 weeks’ low of 44 before bouncing to close at $3.30 with 158,583 units swapped, General Accident closed at $5.25 after dropping 80 cents in the trading 31,584 shares. GWest Corporation ended with a loss of 1 cent at $1.01 with 5,200 stock units changing hands, Honey Bun fell 5 cents in trading of 30,899 units at $6.45, iCreate finished 1 cent lower at 63 cents with an exchange of 88,382 stock units. Indies Pharma declined 8 cents in trading of 63,757 units at a 52 weeks’ low of $2.30, Iron Rock Insurance closed trading of 11,844 units and gained 10 cents to end at $3, Jamaican Teas shed 34 cents in trading of 506,124 units at $5.95. KLE Group ended market activity exchanging 7,500 shares to close at $1.99 after falling 31 cents, Knutsford Express closed at $10.20 after falling 65 cents with 1,189 shares changing hands, 
Lasco Distributors traded 100,800 shares to close at $2.90 after falling 8 cents. Limners and Bards ended trading of 237,677 units and gained 8 cents to end at $2.59, Lumber Depot closed with a loss of 2 cents at $1.38, after swapping 83,259 shares, Mailpac Group declined 5 cents in trading of 1,645,068 units at $1.75. Main Event ended with a loss of 1 cent at $5.61 with 10,463 stock units changing hands, Medical Disposables closed trading of 5,500 units and gained 83 cents to end at $6.98, Paramount Trading finished the day at $1.92 after rising 2 cents with 20,000 shares traded. Stationery and Office Supplies lost 75 cents after 78,692 stock units changed hands, to close at $8.50 and tTech declined 31 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $3.87 with 11,194 units crossing the exchange.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
