Junior Market slips, with dominant declining stocks

Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Thursday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 21 percent with a moderately lower value than on Wednesday, with 43 securities trading, compared with 44 on Wednesday and ended with ten rising, 23 falling and ten closing unchanged.
Investors traded 6,180,875 shares for $20,046,474 versus 7,810,602 units at $20,148,012 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 143,741 shares at $466,197 compared with 177,514 units at $457,909 on Wednesday, Trading month to date ended with an average of 319,331 stocks at $790,601 down from 332,485 units at $814,903 on the previous day. Trading in June ended with an averaged of 319,230 units at $854,456.
Image Plus Consultants was the lead trade with 2.33 million shares at 37.6 percent of total volume, followed by Dolla Financial with 1.34 million units for 21.7 percent of the day’s trade and Future Energy Source with 305,991 units for 5 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index declined 18.41 points to 3,963.00.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.1.  The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed using 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 four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Caribbean Cream fell 29 cents and ended at $4.20 after trading 10,214 shares, Caribbean Flavours shed 12 cents to close at $1.23 with an exchange of 64,838 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries climbed 20 cents to $2.80 while exchanging a mere 13 units. Dolphin Cove increased 69 cents to end at $16.99, with stakeholders exchanging 20,925 stock units, Elite Diagnostic lost 10 cents in closing at $1.90, with 900 stock units crossing the market, Everything Fresh dipped 14 cents to $1.40 after investors exchanged 3,813 stocks. General Accident declined 26 cents to close at $4.70, with 834 units changing hands, Honey Bun dropped 34 cents to end at $6.10 in switching ownership of 2,372 shares, Image Plus Consultants dipped 8 cents in closing at $2.22 in an exchange of 2,326,364 units after posting a record intraday high of $2.55. Iron Rock Insurance popped 40 cents and ended at $2.50 with investors transferring just four stock units, Jamaican Teas shed 10 cents in closing at $2.10 after an exchange of 33,514 shares, Lasco Distributors declined 18 cents to close at $4 in trading 150,218 stocks. Lasco Financial dropped 10 cents at $2.30 and closed after an exchange of 13,577 units, Limners and Bards fell 14 cents and ended at $2.06, with 2,000 units clearing the market, Lumber Depot lost 16 cents to end at $2 after 38,281 shares crossed the market. Paramount Trading shed 20 cents to end at $1.80 in an exchange of 45,662 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies dropped $1.78 to close at $26 with shareholders swapping a solid 182,798 stocks days ahead of the nine for one stock split that is up for approval on Tuesday at the company’s AGM with the ex-split data now set for July 31 with the record data moving up to August 2 from the originally stated July 25 and tTech dipped 32 cents in closing at $1.79 after 25,991 stock units passed through the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.