Juniors rise as JSE Main & USD markets drop

The Junior Market was the only market recording gains at the close of trading on Thursday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, but the JSE USD market slipped with the Main Market falling as trading ended with the number of shares jumping but with a lower value than on Wednesday as trading ended with 32 ordinary shares rising and 35 declining.
At the close of trading on Thursday, the JSE Combined Market Index dropped 991.34 points to 332,385.19, the All Jamaican Composite Index declined 1,252.29 points to 356,120.35, the JSE Main Index dropped 1,306.80 points to 319,222.85. The Junior Market Index added 26.75 points to settle at 3,768.57 and the JSE USD Market Index shed 2.75 points to close at 238.07.
At the close of trading, 24,096,418 shares were exchanged in all three markets, up from 16,686,862 units on Wednesday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounted to $52.34 million, up from $145.58 million on Tuesday and the JSE USD market closed after 81,185 shares for US$2,499 compared to 22,109 units at US$25,157 on Wednesday.
Main Market trading was dominated by Wigton Windfarm led trading with 12.69 million shares followed by Transjamaican Highway with 1.12 million units and Radio Jamaica with 849,926 units.
In the Junior Market, Derrimon Trading led trading with 2.19 million shares followed by MFS Capital Partners with 1.30 million units and One Great Studio with 851,349 stocks.
At the close of the market, some of the major rising Main Market stocks are Margaritaville rose $2.58 to $17.58 and Seprod climbed $1 and ended at $84.
the major declining Main Market stocks include AS Bryden fell $3.50 and ended at $36.50, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund sank $2.50 to close at $37.50, Guardian Holdings declined $30 to $360, JMMB Group dipped $1.15 to close at $23.80, Massy Holdings skidded $1.45 to close at $89 and Sagicor Group lost $2.93 in closing at $42.
In the Junior Market, the major rising stocks include Access Financial gaining $3 in closing at $23 and AMG Packaging gaining 40 cents to close at $2.76. Stocks declining in the Junior Market had moderate price changes.
In the preference segment, Productive Business Solutions 10.5 % preference share declined $25 and ended at $1,075.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks, ended at 21.5 on 2022-23 earnings and 13.8 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 navigate numerous investment options successfully in the 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.