Junior market stocks performed better than main market stocks in 2017 but that performance does not show in the gains in the market indices of both markets.
A cursory look at the Junior and Main Market indices would lead to the conclusion that investors in the main market were far better off in 2017 that their Junior Market counter path. Such a conclusion would be completely wrong. The Junior Market rose just 5.3 percent at the end of the year, down from a high of 31 percent in May, compared with almost 51 percent gain for the main market for, the full year.
Data is showing that while the Junior Market index was barely up, 8 stocks gained more than 100 percent compared to 6 in the main market. 7 Junior Market stocks rose between 50 percent and 76 percent and 9 gained between 52 percent and 81 percent in the main market. Importantly, the average gains for the Junior Market is 79 percent and losses, an average of 20 percent for a net gain of 59 percent. The average main market stock rose 68 percent while losses averaged 22 percent, a net of 48 percent.
A 43 percent fall in the price of the heavily weighted, Lasco Distributors and 14 percent in Lasco Manufacturing dented the Junior Market index in a big way.
The main market benefitted from big gains in heavy weighted, Supreme Ventures, NCB Financial, Jamaica Producers, JMMB Group, Carreras and Scotia Group with increases of 61 to 100 percent. Added to that PanJam Investment gained 60 percent, Cable and Wireless 56 percent and Sagicor Group 31 percent.
Junior stocks beat majors in 2017
December 31, 2017 by
