Market fell on Thursday

The Jamaica Stock Exchange main market lost ground on Thursday with 41 securities changing hands in all market segments, 16 of which gained and 14 declined. Six stocks closed at 52 weeks’ highs and 3 at intraday highs as 12,998,406 units valued at $117,830,036 changed hands in all markets. The junior market accounted for 1,462,823 units changed hands, valued at $6,676,310.
The JSE Market Index fell 608.92 points to 159,707.95 the all Jamaica Composite Index lost 680.50 points to end at 177,438.94 and the JSE combined index declined 667.38 points to close at 171,240.16.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading was 16 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and only 1 with a lower offer.
At the end of the market activities, Barita Investments ended with 5,478 units traded for 3 cents lower to close at $4.75, Berger Paints rose 58 cents to end at $5.08 at 52 weeks’ high, with 100,764 units traded. Cable and Wireless dropped 14 cents to close at $1.40 with 803,782 units trading. The company reported a profit of $144 million in the December quarter after accounting for an exceptional charge of $334 million and for the nine months losses were down sharply from $1.8 billion to $644 million after an exceptional charge of $504 million. Caribbean Cement fell 1 cent to close at $27.99 with 35,992 shares changing hands. Gleaner Company traded 1,998,200 shares to close at $2.40, Grace Kennedy closed at $84 with 1,500 units changing hands. Jamaica Broilers Group traded 45,584 units but dropped $1 to $13.50, JMMB Group traded 6,875,563 units but fell 15 cents to end at $11.75. Kingston Wharves rose 19 cents with 13,848 units changing hands at $11.19, Margaritaville Turks had 180,290 shares trading at 14 US cents, National Commercial Bank traded 114,437 shares and fell 50 cents to close at $41.50. Pulse Investments traded 230,500 shares to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $4.20 after rising by 10 cents after it traded earlier in the day at $4.80, Sagicor Group closed at $23 with 164,051 units changing hands. Sagicor Real Estate Fund fell 20 cents to close at $11.80 while trading 65,892 shares, after it traded at an intraday high of $12.05. Scotia Group had 157,488 shares changing hands to close at $34, Scotia Investments had 36,067 units changing hands at $29, Seprod added 100 units and jumped $1 in ending at $22. Supreme Ventures lost 10 cents to close at $6.20, with 85,982 units changing hands, but traded earlier, at an intraday high of $7 and JMMB 7.50% preference share traded 603,733 units with a gain of 3 cents to close at $2.15.