Junior Market slips on lower trading

Trading fell on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday, with a 4 percent decline in the volume of stocks traded, with 16 percent lower value than on Friday, with trading in 43 securities as was the case on Friday and ended with prices of 16 rising, 17 declining and 10 closing unchanged.
Trading closed with 2,632,539 shares for $5,970,320, down from 2,755,767 units at $7,072,014 on Friday.
Trading averaged 61,222 shares at $138,845 compared with 64,088 units at $164,465 on Friday with the month to date, averaging 88,131 units at $205,139 compared to 97,032 stock units at $227,067 on the previous trading day and April with an average of 204,118 units at $439,599.
Tropical Battery led trading with 682,451 shares for 25.9 percent of total volume followed by Lumber Depot with 368,183 stock units for 14 percent of the day’s trade and Caribbean Assurance Brokers with 227,450 units for 8.6 percent market share.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index dipped 19.58 points to 3,783.73.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.7, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2025.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial dropped $1.33 to end at $19.81 after investors traded 1,000 stocks, AMG Packaging advanced 41 cents in closing at $3.81, with 20,780 units crossing the market, Blue Power popped 22 cents to $3.52 with investors transferring 38,886 shares. Cargo Handlers sank 82 cents to close at $12.03 with 4,159 stock units crossing the market, Caribbean Assurance Brokers climbed 54 cents to finish at $2.74 with investors trading 227,450 shares, with investors responded positively to the full year results for 2023, Caribbean Flavours increased 12 cents and ended at $1.70 after exchanging 1,110 units. Dolla Financial rose 5 cents to $2.80 with a transfer of 131,922 stocks, Express Catering rallied 19 cents to end at $3.97 after 12,812 stock units passed through the market, Fontana shed 38 cents in closing at $8.60 with traders dealing in 29,601 shares. Future Energy fell 19 cents and ended at $3.35 in an exchange of 91,397 stock units, Indies Pharma gained 8 cents to finish at $2.70 with a mere 8 stocks clearing the market, Jamaican Teas slipped 8 cents to close at $2.45 in an exchange of 66,021 units. JFP Ltd lost 16 cents to close at $1.16 with investors trading 126,818 shares, Lasco Financial rose 9 cents to finish at $1.69 after an exchange of 26,938 stocks, Mailpac Group dipped 8 cents to $2.03 with trading of 29,036 units. Paramount Trading declined 5 cents to close at $1.45 after a transfer of 10,916 stock units, Regency Petroleum climbed 8 cents to end at $2.20, with 11,394 shares changing hands, Spur Tree Spices increased 6 cents to $2.49 with an exchange of 18,341 stock units. Tropical Battery skidded 21 cents to $2.12 with investors swapping 682,451 units and tTech popped 6 cents and ended at $2.26 in switching ownership of 118 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.