The young bulls continue to push upward pressure on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market in January moving the market up 2.2 percent to date, with a 22.27 points rise on Friday to 2,702.59, surpassing the mid-April high of 2,686.90.
The market index is now only 57 points away from the next high point of 2,758.76 points on March 4, last year, but still some way off from the March high at the start of that month.
Trading ended with 35 securities changing hands, up from 33 on Thursday and concluded with prices of 13 stocks rising, 15 falling and seven closed unchanged.
The market closed with investors exchanging 11 percent fewer shares with 15 percent lower value than on Thursday as 10,923,530 shares traded for $27,075,114, down from 12,301,306 units at $31,743,002 on Thursday. The average PE Ratio ended at 14 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Jamaican Teas led trading with 37.4 percent of total volume after trading 4.08 million shares, followed by Derrimon Trading 29 percent with an exchange of 3.17 million units and Caribbean Flavours with 11.4 percent market share with a transfer of 1.25 million stock units.
Trading averaged 312,101 units at $773,575in contrast to 372,767 at $961,909 on Thursday. Trading month to date, averaged 221,421 units at $551,003, up from 211,281 units at $526,115 on Thursday. December closed with an average of 263,428 units at $638,694.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close of the market, AMG Packaging slipped 4 cents to $1.65 trading 35,023 shares, Cargo Handlers shed 95 cents to end at $6.95 with an exchange of 960 units. Caribbean Cream dropped 28 cents to $4.70 with 133,687 stock units changing hands after the company reported nine month results to November, on Thursday, with profits doubling. Caribbean Flavours traded 1,246,924 shares and lost 5 cents to close at $1.60, Dolphin Cove declined by 74 cents to close at $8.76 with 5,066 stock units passing through the market, Elite Diagnostic fell 5 cents to $2.95 with 9,500 shares changing hands, Everything Fresh rose 5 cents to 75 cents with investors switching ownership of 8,488 stocks. Fontana rose 25 cents to $5.70, with an exchange of 76,181 units, Fosrich climbed 39 cents to $4.40 with 10,802 stock units changing hands, General Accident increased by 15 cents to $6.25 trading 12,000 shares. Indies Pharma dropped 25 cents to $2.45 with 33,018 units passing through the market, Jamaican Teas exchanged 4,080,360 shares and gained 13 cents to finish at $2.48, Knutsford Express increased 8 cents to $6.78 with 3,559 units traded, Lasco Financial fell 4 cents to $2.60 with a transfer of 103,165 stocks.
Lumber Depot dropped 9 cents to close at $1.46 with 131,622 stocks changing hands. Mailpac Group advanced 15 cents in trading 982,100 stock units to finish at a record closing high of $3.75, Main Event gained 10 cents to end at $3.10 with a transfer of 6,165 units, Paramount Trading rose 5 cents to $1.30 with 3,920 shares changing hands and Stationery and Office Supplies jumped 43 cents to $4.54 with 47,002 stocks traded.
In the preference segment, Derrimon Trading advanced 2 cents to $2.10 with 12,211 stock units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
