Stocks fell in Wednesday’s trading session on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange as the market continues to struggle to break through the 2,900 points barrier, with falling stocks far outnumbering rising ones as investors traded slightly fewer shares than on Tuesday.
Trading ended with 35 securities compared to 39 on Tuesday and ended with just eight stocks rising, while 22 declined and five remained unchanged.
The Market Index lost 8.82 points to closle at 2,894.96. The average PE Ratio ended at 16.5 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Trading accounted for 6,442,104 shares for $19,769,570 against 6,903,680 units at $18,593,058 on Tuesday. Mailpac Group led trading with 29.8 percent of the total volume of 1.92 million shares, followed by Indies Pharma with 27.2 percent after an exchange of 1.75 million units and Jamaican Teas with 8.8 percent with 560,155 units.
Trading averaged 184,060 units at $564,845, up from 177,017 at $476,745 on Tuesday. Trading month to date averaged 245,801 units at $686,107, down from 254,177 units at $702,557 on Tuesday. February closed with an average of 365,365 units at $881,118.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, AMG Packaging dropped 15 cents to $1.75 with 6,125 shares traded, Blue Power fell 10 cents to $4 after trading 12,465 stock units, CAC 2000 shed $1.80 to $8.10 with 1,330 units changing hands. Caribbean Assurance Brokers declined 33 cents to $1.87 with an exchange of 1,933 shares, Caribbean Cream dipped 8 cents to $4.80 with 55,585 stocks crossing the market, Caribbean Flavours slid 6 cents to $2.40 with 318,913 units traded. Caribbean Producers fell 18 cents to $3.05 trading 7,113 stock units, Elite Diagnostic lost 7 cents to end at $2.91 with 16,417 shares changing hands, Fontana rose 5 cents to $5.80 with 65,977 stocks trading. Fosrich declined 15 cents to close at $5.15 with 20,623 units passing through the market, General Accident slipped 5 cents to $5.90 with 156 stock units traded, GWest Corporation rose 10 cents to 97 cents with a transfer of 49,090 units. iCreate rose 6 cents to 85 cents with a transfer of 33,000 shares, Indies Pharma dropped 30 cents to $3 with a transfer of 1,752,216 units, Iron Rock Insurance shed 30 cents to close at $3 with 22,555 stock units changing hands. Jamaican Teas fell 19 cents to $3.09, trading 560,155 shares, Lasco Manufacturing advanced 17 cents to $4.57 with 127,545 stock units passing through the market, Lumber Depot declined 5 by cents to $2.48 with 327,170 units traded. 
Medical Disposables climbed 61 cents to $4.74 with a transfer of 8,800 shares, Paramount Trading fell 14 cents to $1.31 with 58,400 stocks switching hands, SSL Venture gained 8 cents to close at 64 cents with investors switching ownership of 48,857 units and Stationery and Office Supplies shed $1.04 to finish at $4.55 with 61,323 shares crossing the exchange.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
