Junior Market trading jumps

Trading picked up on Friday on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, with trading in only 36 securities compared with 39 on Thursday following a 106 percent jump in the volume of stocks traded as funds pulled into the market surged 152 percent more than Thursday as the market closed with prices of 12 stocks rising, 11 declining and 13 unchanged.
Investors traded 5,022,943 shares for $11,992,912 compared with 2,442,247 units at $4,763,066 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 139,526 shares at $333,136, compared with 62,622 units at $122,130 on Thursday, with the month to date, averaging 131,791 units at $311,505 compared with 130,432 stock units at $307,707 on the previous day and down compared to November with an average of 262,280 units at $587,545.
Spur Tree Spices led trading with 3.19 million shares for 63.6 percent of total volume followed by Fosrich with 514,108 units for 10.2 percent of the day’s trade and Regency Petroleum with 208,566 units for 4.2 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index lost 12.27 points to 3,700.76 after the market trade over 3,750 points in the morning session.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.9, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging rose 59 cents to end trading for the week at $2.89 after an exchange of 66,994 units, even as the stock started trading X-dividend on Friday, with the record being December 11 for the  dividend payment of a 10 cents per share. Express Catering gained 25 cents in closing at $4 after an exchange of 4,464 stocks, Fontana lost 63 cents to close at $9.57 with traders dealing in 65,965 shares. Honey Bun popped 18 cents to end at $6.44 in an exchange of 1,747 stock units, Indies Pharma increased 20 cents and ended at $3, with 5,665 shares changing hands, Jamaican Teas climbed 25 cents to $2.55 with a transfer of 119,469 stocks, as buyers eat away at the limited supply of stocks on offer. Jetcon Corporation shed 8 cents and ended at 75 cents, with a mere 1,335 units crossing the market, Knutsford Express declined $1.68 to close at $11.12 in switching ownership of 2,300 stock units, Lasco Distributors fell 39 cents to end at $3.61 with shareholders swapping 112,863 shares. Lasco Manufacturing dipped 20 cents in closing at $4.30 while exchanging 44,307 stocks, Limners and Bards dropped 9 cents to $1.61 with investors dealing in 5,109 units and Main Event skidded 98 cents to close at $13, after 54,527 stock units passed through the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.