Junior Market falls as trading climbs

Price changes were mostly modest on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday, and led rising and declining stocks sharing honours on a day when there was trading in 40 securities compared with 38 on Friday, ended with 17 rising, 17 declining and six closing unchanged with the volume of stocks traded jumping 146 percent and the value 144 percent more than Friday.
Investors exchanged 4,843,898 shares for $11,250,151 compared to 1,971,310 units at $4,610,291 on Friday.
Trading 0n Monday averaged 121,097 shares at $281,254 up from 51,877 units at $121,323 on Friday. Trading for the month to date, averages 120,286 stocks at $290,705 compared with 120,214 stocks at $291,552 on the previous day. August closed with an average of 183,001 units at $460,354.
Image Plus Consultants led trading with 1.08 million shares for 22.3 percent of total volume followed by Regency Petroleum with 791,364 units for 16.3 percent of the total stocks that were traded and ONE on ONE Educational with 756,895 units for 15.6 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index fell 37.52 points to  3,791.92.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average of PE of 10.6 based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending between November 2023 and August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging skidded 23 cents to $2.28, with 10,817 shares changing hands, Caribbean Flavours fell 8 cents to end at $1.20 with shareholders swapping 1,985 stock units, Dolla Financial popped 12 cents to close at $2.40 with traders dealing in 293,601 units, EduFocal dipped 11 cents and ended at $1.34 in an exchange of 17,593 stock units. Elite Diagnostic gained 20 cents in closing at $1.81, with 320 shares crossing the exchange, Fontana lost 49 cents and ended at $10.50, with 11,199 stock units passing through the market, Fosrich rallied 13 cents in closing at $2.10 after 33,132 units were exchanged, General Accident climbed 44 cents to $4.99 after an exchange of 31,127 stock. Honey Bun declined 28 cents to close at $6.50 as investors traded 14,903 units, Image Plus Consultants shed 9 cents to end at $2.02 in trading 1,079,499 shares, Jamaican Teas dropped 6 cents to close at $2 after 68,896 stocks changed hands, but only after hitting an intraday 52 week’s low of $1.75. Knutsford Express rose 20 cents in closing at $11.45 with investors transferring 2,061 stock units, Lasco Distributors shed 10 cents and ended at $4.35 with a transfer of 53,195 units, Lasco Manufacturing lost 5 cents to end at $5.20 after an exchange of 63,824 stock units, Limners and Bards increased 12 cents to $1.80 after 23,670 stocks passed through the market. Main Event fell 26 cents to end at $14.99 in switching ownership of 67,532 shares, MFS Capital Partners dipped 20 cents to $2 with investors exchanging 137,500 shares, Paramount Trading advanced 7 cents and ended at $2 while 500 stocks were treated. Regency Petroleum declined 10 cents to close at $2.13 with an exchange of 791,364 stock units and Spur Tree Spices popped 8 cents in closing at $2.14 with 5,322 units being traded.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.