Junior Market inched higher as trading climbs

Declining stocks outpaced risers at the close of trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Monday, as the volume and the value of stocks traded jumped 67 percent and 74 percent respectively above Friday’s outturn after trading in 40 securities down from 44 on Friday and ended with 14 rising, 21 declining and five closing unchanged.
Investors traded 7,848,690 shares for $22,598,062 up from 4,686,473 units at $13,003,928 on Friday.
Trading averaged 196,217 shares at $564,952 compared with 106,511 units at $295,544 on Friday, with the month to date, averaging 246,636 units at $644,016 compared to 251,168 stocks at $651,123 on the previous trading day. June closed with an average of 319,230 units at $854,456.
Dolla Financial led trading with 2.05 million shares for 26.1 percent of total volume, Lasco Manufacturing was next with 1.28 million units for 16.3 percent of the day’s trade and ONE on ONE Educational with 938,946 units for 12 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index popped 7.79 points to end trading at 3,963.41.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.3. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed using the last traded price in conjunction with ICInsider.com’s projected earnings 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 four with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial fell $2.28 to close at $22.71, with 960 shares clearing the market, AMG Packaging declined 20 cents in closing at $2.29 in an exchange of 23,795 units, Blue Power dipped 37 cents and ended at $2.63 with stakeholders exchanging 32,059 stocks. Cargo Handlers climbed $1 to $19 with an exchange of 7,693 stock units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers popped 21 cents to end at $3.30 with investors trading 750 units, Caribbean Cream gained 57 cents and ended at $4.64 with a transfer of a mere   200 stock units. Consolidated Bakeries advanced 18 cents in closing at $2.98, with 2,511 stocks crossing the market, Dolla Financial shed 12 cents to end at $2.16 after investors traded 2,051,133 shares, Dolphin Cove rallied 82 cents to close at $17.12 with an exchange of 1,216 stock units. Everything Fresh lost 8 cents in closing at $1.52 after an exchange of 1,615 stock units, Future Energy Source climbed 16 cents to $3.97, with 119,766 units changing hands, Honey Bun dipped 42 cents to close at $6.08 after an exchange of 7,863 shares. Indies Pharma shed 15 cents in closing at $3.05, with an exchange of 261,545 stocks, ISP Finance rose 19 cents to end at $20.20 with 501 stocks being traded, Jamaican Teas rose 24 cents to $2.33, with 7,353 shares crossing the market. JFP Ltd advanced 8 cents to $1.75 after a transfer of 275,244 units, Lasco Financial increased 9 cents and ended at $2.40 following 8,867 shares that passed through the market, ONE on ONE Educational dipped 14 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of 95 cents before the release of nine months results, showing lower profit for the quarter and for the nine months compared with 2022, but investors exchanged 938,946 units and Regency Petroleum lost 8 cents in closing at $2.66 after investors ended trading 37,908 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.