Juniors slip on increased trading

Trading on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Wednesday with 35 securities changing hands, resulting in an exchange of 12,466,951 units amounting to $49,798,922 compared to 4,382,872 units for $10,759,249 on Tuesday.
At the close of market activities, the prices of 10 securities advanced, 20 declined and five remained unchanged. The Junior Market Index declined by 9.59 points following Monday sharp 102.64 points drop and Tuesday’s 25.45 points fall to close at 3,240.51. The market’s average PE ratio ended the day at 13.9 earnings for 2019.
Trading ended with an average of 356,199 units for an average of $1,422,826, in contrast to 128,908 units, for an average of $316,449 on Tuesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 199,671 units valued at $696,663 and previously 195,824 units valued at $429,219. In contrast, December closed with an average of 521,319 shares at $1,344,719 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows ten stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial gained $1.57 in trading of 4,638 units to close at $30.58, AMG Packaging lost 13 cents, exchanging 6,890 shares at $2.22, Blue Power climbed 20 cents trading 1,000 stock units at $5.10, Cargo Handlers closed at $9.06, after falling 44 cents with 1,700 units changing hands. Caribbean Cream ended trading of 18,000 units with gains of 20 cents to close at $4. Consolidated Bakeries exchanged 6,566 shares to close at $1.66 after falling 9 cents, Derrimon Trading ended with 5,000 shares changing hands, after losing 1 cent to close at $2.58, Dolphin Cove climbed to $12, after gaining $1.70 in transferring 28,724 shares. Elite Diagnostic closed at $5, rising 10 cents after trading 225,004 shares, Express Catering advanced 19 cents in trading 18,275 units to close at $6.30. Fontana swapped 107,174 stock units, with a fall of 11 cents to end at $6.90, Fosrich closed trading of 63,189 units and lost 12 cents to end at $4.32, General Accident lost 35 cents in exchanging 200,424 units at $6. GWest Corporation closed the day’s trade at $1.15, losing 5 cents swapping 202,688 shares, Honey Bun dropped 48 cents in exchanging 50,678 shares at $7.91, iCreate closed 2 cents lower to 71 cents, with 272,477 stock units changing hands. Jamaican Teas closed with gains of 89 cents at $7, in swapping of 5,634,182 shares after the company reported that the board would be meeting to consider an increase in the issued capital. Jetcon Corporation climbed 24 cents to $1.74, with an exchange of 79,000 shares, Knutsford Express dipped 41 cents, ending at $10.59 with trades of 8,843 units, Lasco Distributors dropped 24 cents after exchanging 51,094 shares at $3.06, Lasco Financial ended trading 30,669 units, after losing 19 cents to close at $4.28. Lasco Manufacturing lost 5 cents swapping 17,583 shares and ended at $4.45, Limners & Bards declined 4 cents in transferring 175,981 units at $2.90. MailPac Group shed 1 cent trading 2,430,612 units at $2.09, Main Event declined by 99 cents to settle at $5.01 with 17,989 shares changing hands. Medical Disposables lost 39 cents in exchanging 16,903 shares at $6.71, Paramount Trading ended at $1.79, after losing 4 cents trading 5,000 shares, SSL Venture Capital closed 18 cents higher at $1.38, with 33,443 stock units changing hands and tTech lost 5 cents in exchanging 30,000 units to close at $5.50.
In the junior market preference segment, CAC 2000, 9.5% gained 13 cents in trading of 118 units at $1.03.