Junior Market slips with increased trading

Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday, with the volume of stocks traded rising 256 percent and the value 358 percent more than on Friday resulting from the trading of 44 securities trading compared with 41 on Friday and ended with 15 rising, 23 declining and six closing unchanged.
Investors traded 13,472,168 shares for $41,603,295 versus 3,789,177 units at $9,092,799 on Friday.
Trading averaged 306,186 shares at $945,529, compared to 92,419 shares at $221,776 on Friday with a month to date average of 150,509 units at $387,778 compared to 134,726 stock units at $331,232 on the previous day. April closed with an average of 266,661 units at $2,583,503.
Tropical Battery led trading with 3.0 million shares for 22.3 percent of total volume followed by Honey Bun with 2.15 million units for 15.9 percent of the day’s trade, Image Plus Consultants ended with 1.91 million units for 14.1 percent market share and Future Energy Source with 1.46 million units for 10.9 percent of total volume.
At the close, the Junior Market Index declined 25.87 points to end at 3,739.75.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 10.8. 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. Three stocks traded at 52 weeks’ intraday low, with Fesco hitting $3,90, Fosrich reaching $2.20 and iCreate $1.18.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial rallied 30 cents in closing at $23.30 after an exchange of 478 shares, CAC 2000 lost $1.20 after ending at $6.80 with a transfer of 798 stocks, Cargo Handlers increased $1.75 to close at 52 weeks’ high of $16.75 with shareholders swapping 1,445 stock units. Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 56 cents to end at $2.32 after a transfer of 41,556 units, but after it traded at 52 weeks’ intraday high of $2.91. Caribbean Cream dipped 10 cents to $3.20 as investors exchanged 42,915 shares, Elite Diagnostic slipped 24 cents to close at $2.32, with 4,101 stocks clearing the market. GWest Corporation declined 11 cents in closing at 89 cents, with 1,859 units crossing the market, Honey Bun shed 19 cents and ended at $6.29 with 2,147,092 stock units crossing the exchange, Image Plus Consultants lost 9 cents to end at $2.11 after exchanging 1,906,103 stocks. Iron Rock Insurance climbed 31 cents to $2.60 in trading 213 units, Jamaican Teas dropped 8 cents to $2.11 in an exchange of 155,540 stock units, Knutsford Express advanced 50 cents to $11 as 16,650 shares passed through the market, Lasco Manufacturing dipped 18 cents to close at $4 with investors transferring 5,000 units, Main Event rose 25 cents in closing at $13, with 22,427 shares changing hands, MFS Capital Partners popped 19 cents to end at $3.40 after investors traded 143,203 stocks, Paramount Trading declined 24 cents in closing at $2.08 in an exchange of 56,866 stock units. Stationery and Office Supplies shed 45 cents to end at $15.20, with 6,209 shares crossing the market and Tropical Battery fell 8 cents to $1.95 in switching ownership of 2,997,784 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.