Trading in Caribbean Cement, Lasco Distributors, Lasco Manufacturing and Transjamaican Highway, accounted for $159 million in trading and swelled the value of stocks changing hands on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday. Trading ended the month with the Main and the USD markets holding on to the year to date gains, with the USD market ending the month close to record high reached this week. The Junior Market ended the month marginally lower than the 2025 close, as prices of 50 shares rose, 30 declined and 34 remained firm.
The market closed on Friday with a jump in the volume of stocks exchanged, with a greater value than on Thursday, resulting in the major indices of the Main Market rising, the Junior Market index gaining marginally and the JSE USD Market just slipping.
At the close, the JSE Combined Market Index gained 2,737.39 points to settle at 355,721.30, the All Jamaican Composite Index rallied 2,670.52 points to finish at 404,404.64, the JSE Main Index jumped 2,836.49 points to finish at 346,698.30, the Junior Market Index advanced 3.24 points to finish at 3,373.46 and the JSE USD Market Index slipped a mere 0.01 points to end at 282.86.
At the close of trading, 59,936,646 shares were exchanged in all three markets, up from 36,032,579 units on Thursday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounting to $267.55 million, up from $134.66 million on the previous day. The JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 966,680 shares for US$50,432 compared to 625,206 units at US$77,360 on Thursday.
In Main Market activity, Wigton Energy led trading with 13.69 million shares followed by Transjamaican Highway with 8.05 million stocks and Lasco Distributors with 8.05 million units.
In Junior Market trading, Dolla Financial led with 3.14 million shares followed by Kintyre Holdings with 2.86 million stocks and ONE on ONE Educational with 2.17 million units.
In the preference segment, 138 Student Living preferred share popped $3.01 to end at $241, Productive Business Solutions 10.5% rose $30.01 to $1,180.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to value stocks, finished at 14.7, which is calculated using projected 2026-27 earnings and 15.7 based on 2025 historical earnings, excluding any major one-time income or expense. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to assist decision-making. The PE ratio chart includes all ordinary shares listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, with easy comparisons within sectors and the overall market.
Pertinent information is needed to navigate the numerous options in stock markets. The chart should be used to help with decision-making, when investing around the average of a sector, not going too far from it unless compelling reasons exist. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals, without straying far from the majority of investors. 
Investors who buy stocks near the average will not be inclined to overpay. The net asset value of each company is incorporated into the chart. Investors can use this measure in assessing stock values. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded price. Dividends that are paid or due to be paid and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume of the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.