Declining stocks edged those rising on Thursday, with 16 rising, 18 declining and nine closed unchanged, that did not prevent the Market Index from jumping 40.23 points to 3,774.65 at the close of the Junior Market as the market moved higher throughout the day, with mostly moderate price changes, 
resulting in the volume of stocks traded falling 18 percent with the value 14 percent lower than on Wednesday with 43 securities trading compared with 46 on Wednesday.
Investors traded 4,043,628 shares for $9,615,722 versus 4,913,726 units at $11,171,881 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 94,038 shares at $223,621 down from 106,820 shares at $242,867 on Wednesday, with a month to date average of 124,664 units at $304,083 compared with 134,717 stock units at $330,495 on the previous day. Trading in April closed with an average of 266,661 units at $2,583,503.
Image Plus Consultants led trading with 1.78 million shares for 44 percent of the volume followed by MFS Capital Partners with 313,487 units for 7.8 percent of the day’s trade and Regency Petroleum with 302,337 units for 7.5 percent market share.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.5. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed based on 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 ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, EduFocal gained 9 cents to close at $2.05 in an exchange of 24,485 shares, General Accident rose 17 cents to end at $5.10 and closed after investors exchanged 21 stocks, GWest Corporation dropped 16 cents to close at 88 cents after investors traded 6,969 stock units. 
iCreate rose 9 cents to close at $1.50 with 3,154 units changing hands, Indies Pharma popped 22 cents to $3.34 with the swapping of 101 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance declined 41 cents to $1.88 as investors exchanged 202,572 units, KLE Group increased by 42 cents to end at $2.02, with 62 shares crossing the market, Knutsford Express advanced 9 cents and ended at $11.39 after 200 stock units passed through the market, Medical Disposables climbed 7 cents to close at $5.08 with 1,100 stock units clearing the market, MFS Capital Partners fell 18 cents in closing at $3.32 with investors transferring 313,487 units, Regency Petroleum rose 8 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $2.65 after investors ended trading of 302,337 stocks,
Stationery and Office Supplies lost 30 cents to end at $15.50 after an exchange of 1,557 shares and tTech climbed 21 cents to $2.49 in trading 238 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
