The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended trading on Monday, with the market index inched higher after more stocks fell than rose, with investors exchanging 20 percent more shares than on Friday.
Trading ended with 32 securities changing hands compared to 31 securities on Friday and ended with the prices of nine stocks rising, twelve declining and eleven remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index carved out a gain of just 3.21 points to settle at 2,609.36. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.7 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 3,157,585 shares for $9,033,381 compared to 2,637,466 units at $9,741,864 on Friday.
Lumber Depot led trading with 806,750 shares for 25.5 percent of total volume, followed by MailPac Group with 543,553 units for 17.2 percent of the day’s trade and Fontana with 518,938 units for 16.4 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 98,675 units at $282,293 in contrast to 85,080 at $314,254 on Friday. An average of 120,140 units at $337,342 for the month to date, in comparison to 125,549 units at $351,213. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units at $668,727.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging lost 6 cents to end at $1.78, with 1,010 stock units crossing the exchange, Cargo Handlers jumped 98 cents to settle at $7.50 with investors swapping 3,000 units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers slipped 3 cents to end at $2.12, in an exchange of 2,065 stocks. Caribbean Cream closed 10 cents lower at $5.30 trading 72,958 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries rose 19 cents to end at $1.55 and 3,200 stock units changing hands, Dolphin Cove lost 25 cents to settle at $7 trading 50,160 shares. Everything Fresh declined by 8 cents to end at 65 cents after exchanging 15,065 shares, Fontana gained 1 cent to close at $5.01 with 518,938 shares traded, Fosrich rose 20 cents to close at $3.90, in an exchange of 14,598 shares. Honey Bun shed 69 cents to settle at $4.66 trading 54,236 shares, 
iCreate settled at 61 cents, with a gain of 1 cent and 298,692 shares crossing the market, ISP Finance shed 80 cents to settle at $15, with 129 units passing through the market. Jamaican Teas rose 1 cent to $5, with investors switching ownership of 43,500 stock units, Knutsford Express declined 98 cents to close at $6.90 in an exchange of 1,840 stock units, Lasco Distributors gained 20 cents, in closing at $3.25 with 7,768 stocks changing hands. Lasco Financial lost 5 cents to end at $2.30 trading 47,768 stock units, Limners and Bards declined by 4 cents to settle at $2.96 as investors swapped 185,204 shares, Lumber Depot fell 2 cents to $1.04, in an exchange of 806,750 shares. MailPac Group gained 1 cent to end at $2.15, after trading 543,553 shares, Medical Disposables shed 26 cents to settle at $4.93, with 7,531 units crossing the market and tTech rose 25 cents to end at $6.75 trading 10,097 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
