Caribbean Cream, fresh from reporting a more than doubling of earnings for the half-year, gave the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange some lift on Friday, with the stocks rising nine percent to help lift the >market Index by 19.79 points to settle at 2,511.50.
Similar to Thursday, trading ended with 30 securities changing hands and concluded with the prices of 12 stocks rising, the prices of 12 declining and six with prices remaining unchanged.
The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 11.2 based on the ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 2,285,445 shares for $6,026,625 compared to 2,441,975 units at $5,915,805 on Thursday.
Caribbean Flavours led trading with 23.4 percent of total volume with an exchange of 534,770 shares, followed by Caribbean Cream with 19.7 percent of the day’s trade or 450,118 units and Tropical Battery with 379,495 units for 16.6 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 76,182 units at $200,888 in contrast to 81,399 at $197,193 on Thursday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in an exchange of 308,724 units at $666,787, in comparison to 328,102 units at $705,612 on Thursday. Trading in September resulted in an average of 119,171 units at $249,355.
The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers after one stock ended at a 52 weeks’ low.
At the close of the market, Blue Power lost 2 cents to settle at $3.44 with investors switching 1,150 stock units, Caribbean Cream gained 44 cents and traded 450,118 units to end at $5.15, following the release of half-year results with profit doubling in the period with a 220 percent increase for the second quarter. Caribbean Flavours declined 6 cents to finish at $1.70, with 534,770 stock units passing through the market. Caribbean Producers advanced 16 cents to close at $2.36 with an exchange of 1,575 shares, Derrimon Trading rose 10 cents to end at $2.75 with 838 shares changing hands, Everything Fresh slipped 1 cent to 67 cents with investors transferring 8,332 stock units. Fontana rose 34 cents to finish at $4.99 with 61,670 units traded, Fosrich dropped 19 cents to settle at $3.20 with 10,568 units passing through the market, GWest Corporation rose 4 cents to close at 75 cents with an exchange of 77,447 shares. 
Indies Pharma fell 23 cents to end at $2.66 with 16,033 shares changing hands, ISP Finance jumped $5.95 to finish at $25.95 with investors switching ownership of 8,022 shares, Jamaican Teas lost 13 cents to settle at $4.86 with 123,392 stock units traded. Jetcon Corporation lost 7 cents to close at 80 cents with 92,849 shares passing through the market, Knutsford Express fell 10 cents to end at $6.75 with an exchange of 1,780 stocks, following the release of results showing a loss in the first quarter, Lasco Distributors slipped 2 cents to $3.15 with 632 units changing hands. Lasco Financial increased 3 cents to $2.08 with investors transferring 258 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing declined by 13 cents to settle at $3.45 with 2,000 stocks passing through the market, Limners and Bards advanced 7 cents to close at $2.67 with an exchange of 35,992 units. Mailpac Group advanced 3 cents, trading 351,137 units to end at $1.98, Main Event dropped 15 cents to finish at $3.25 with 710 stocks changing hands, Medical Disposables shed $1.23 to settle at $3.51 with investors switching ownership of 13,330 units. Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 68 cents to close at $5.55 with 14,100 stock units traded and Tropical Battery rose 1 cent to finish at $1.17 with 379,495 shares crossing the exchange.
In the preference segment, CAC 2000, 9.5% gained 4 cents to end at 99 cents with 2,315 units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
