Junior Market surges as Main Market pops

The Junior Market closed with a big jump of nearly 61 points at the end of trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Tuesday, the Main Market Index popped marginally higher as well as the JSE USD market with trading ended with the number and value of stocks changing hands falling, compared with the previous trading day, resulting in prices of 48 shares rising and 24 declining.
At the close of trading, the JSE Combined Market Index climbed 564.71 points to 331,131.27, the All Jamaican Composite Index rallied 937.75 points to 356,733.97, the JSE Main Index advanced 139.64 points to 318,222.11. The Junior Market Index jumped 60.76 points to 3,740.69 and the JSE USD Market Index rose 0.42 points to 219.10.
At the close of trading, 24,524,466 shares were exchanged in all three markets, down from 58,069,711 units on Monday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounted to $121.12 million, well below the $253.35 million on the previous trading day and the JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 1,221,116 shares for US$112,024 compared to 3,378 units at US$273 on Monday.
In Main Market activity, Sagicor Select Financial Fund led trading with 3.39 million shares followed by Transjamaican Highway with 1.57 million stock units and Carreras with 1.17 million units.
In Junior Market trading, iCreate led trading with 1.83 million shares followed by Omni Industries with 1.56 million stock units, Jamaican Teas with 1.40 million shares and Fosrich with 1.05 million units.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.75% preference share climbed $1.42 in closing at $19.99 and 138 Student Living preference share slipped $23.96 to finish at $135.74.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to value stocks, ended at 20.4 on 2023-24 earnings and 13.7 times those for 2024-25 at the close of trading. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, allowing for easy comparisons within a sector and the overall market. The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2023 and 2024 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items.
Pertinent information is required to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and a more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The chart should be used in making rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector, not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide for investors to quickly assess the value of stocks based on this measure. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends paid or payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume of the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.