More gains to end the week – Friday

Ten days up and five days down, landed the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market with a rise of four percent for the year to date, with the Market Index squeezing out a modest gain of 11.47 points, to close at 2,749.66 on Friday after rising stocks outnumbered declining ones as investors exchanged 65 percent more shares than on Thursday.
The rally for the year to date is not broad-based. It is driven by a small number of stocks, primarily, Express Catering, FoshRich, Jamaican Teas, Mailpac, Lumber Depot, Caribbean Cream and Lasco Manufacturing.
For a second consecutive trading day, the market closed with 35 securities changing hands and closed with the prices of 17 stocks rising, nine declining and nine remaining unchanged.
The average PE Ratio ends at 14.2 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Traders exchanged 6,817,196 shares for $18,600,145, up from 4,133,453 units at $10,720,333 on Thursday.
Derrimon Trading led trading with 25.2 percent of total volume with a transfer of 1.72 million shares, followed by Lumber Depot with 20.2 percent after trading 1.37 million units and Mailpac Group with 14.2 percent with an exchange of 965,182 units.
Trading averaged 194,777 units at $531,433 in contrast to 118,099 at $306,295 on Thursday. The month to date, averaged 230,823 units at $535,626, compared to 233,435 units at $535,930 on Thursday. December closed with an average of 263,428 units at $638,694.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close of trading, AMG Packaging dropped 15 cents to $1.50 in an exchange of 277,657 shares, Blue Power fell 12 cents to $2.83 with 4,295 stocks changing hands, Cargo Handlers advanced 11 cents to $7.90 with 9,631 units passing through the market. Caribbean Cream climbed 26 cents to $4.96 trading 71,982 stock units, Caribbean Flavours gained 15 cents to end at $1.85 with an exchange of 50,586 stocks. Caribbean Producers advanced 20 cents to $2.81 with 27,200 shares changing hands, Dolphin Cove shed $1.70 to close at $6.80 with 42,009 units passing through the exchange, Elite Diagnostic gained 22 cents to settle at $2.94 with the trading of 15,629 stock units. Fontana gained 8 cents to finish at $5.78 with 56,669 stock units changing hands. Fosrich increased 5 cents to $4.50 with 111,304 stocks passing through the market, Jetcon Corporation fell 5 cents to 66 cents with 44,683 stocks changing hands, Lasco Financial rose 9 cents to $2.60 with 68,751 stock units passing through the market. Lasco Manufacturing climbed 39 cents to $4.11 with 44,773 shares traded, Limners and Bards advanced 19 cents to $2.80 with a transfer of 92,336 stocks, Paramount Trading increased by 14 cents to $1.44 with a transfer of 5,086 stock units and Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 15 cents to $4.50 with 87,147 shares passing through the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.