The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Friday, crept higher at the close of trading on Friday with a 169 percent jump in the volume of stocks traded, value 56 percent more than on Thursday with trading in 46 securities compared with 47 on Thursday and ending with prices of 15 rising, 14 declining and 17 closing unchanged.
Investors snapped up a total of 21,593,851 shares for $47,836,116 compared with 8,038,625 units at $30,682,069 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 469,432 shares at $1,039,916 compared with 171,035 stock units at $652,810 on Thursday, with a month to date, average of 239,965 units at $572,350 compared with 191,767 stock units at $474,140 on the previous day and February with an average of 253,246 units at $637,481.
At the close of the market, Spur Tree Spices led trading with 17.95 million shares for 83.1 percent of total volume followed by GWest Corporation with 1.60 million units for 7.4 percent of the day’s trade and Dolla Financial ended with 528,791 stocks for 2.4 percent market share.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index advanced 6.92 points to lock up trading at 3,835.25, just 0.30 percent lower than the close of 2023.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.1, based on last traded prices and earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ended with a bid higher than the last selling price and two with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial advanced 85 cents to end at $22 after a transfer of a mere two stock units, Blue Power popped 32 cents to $3.06 while exchanging just one share, Cargo Handlers gained 14 cents in closing at $14.49, with 138 units crossing the market. 
Dolphin Cove rose 17 cents to close at $19.97 with an exchange of 11,337 stocks, Elite Diagnostic climbed 9 cents and ended at $1.64 after 188 units passed through the market, Fontana rallied 44 cents to $9.75 with traders dealing exchanging 28,347 stocks. Jamaican Teas sank 23 cents in ending at $2.41 in switching ownership of 60,081 shares, Lasco Financial skidded 12 cents to end at $1.83 with investors swapping 10,001 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing fell 30 cents in closing at $5.20, with an exchange of 36,109 shares and Limners and Bards declined 14 cents to close at $1.48 with investors dealing in 12,980 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
