Junior & USD markets rally, Main Market steady

The Jamaica Stock Exchange USD Market and the Junior Market closed higher at the end of trading on Wednesday but the Main Market ended marginally higher at the close as the volume of stocked traded remained at a heightened level but below that on Tuesday.
At the close of trading on Wednesday, the JSE Combined Market Index popped 467.04 points to 328,599.13, the All Jamaican Composite Index dipped 419.77 points to  349,209.36, the JSE Main Index rose 57.72 points to end trading at 314,938.63. The Junior Market Index jumped 47.04 points to 3,794.73 and the JSE USD Market Index rose 2.54 points to finish at 228.22.
Investors traded 59,330,218 shares, in all three markets, compared to 114,901,415 units on Tuesday. The value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets ended at $180.35 million from $276.5 million on Tuesday. The JSE USD market closed after 14,818 shares were traded for US$1,462 compared to 647,665 units at US$35,342 on Tuesday.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% shed 99 cents in closing at $41.01 and Productive Business Solutions 10.5% preference share advanced $50 to close at $1150.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks, ended at 21.3 on 2022-23 earnings and 11.9 times those for 2023-24 at the close of trading. ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more 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 between the same sector companies and the overall market. The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2023 and 2024 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items.
Investors need pertinent information to successfully navigate numerous investment options in the local stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
Investors should use the chart to help make rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and 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 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 pertaining to the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.