The vast majority of stock trading on Monday dropped, overpowering those rising by a wide margin, with the funds passing through the market plunging 52 percent from Friday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market, but Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator is flashing positive signals at the close.
The heavily weighted NCB Financial and Guardian Holdings prices dived sharply, they took a big bite out of the market index, leaving the All Jamaican Composite Index dropping 1,922.10 points to 440,860.68, the JSE Main Index plunging 2,974.64 points to 399,148.35 and the JSE Financial Index to fall 1.26 points to end at 96.49.
Trading ended with 53 securities compared to 51 on Friday, with 13 rising, 30 declining and 10 ending unchanged. The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 15.9. Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows positive signs at the close, with 18 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers. Additionally, there are signs that the supply of stocks for many companies is declining.
The PE ratio for the JSE Main and USD Market closing quotes are based on ICInsider.com’s earnings forecast for companies with financial years ending between the current year and August 2022.
Trading ended with 10,000,311 shares changing hands for $59,648,996 versus 9,110,023 units at $124,148,064 n Friday. Wigton Windfarm led trading with 18.6 percent of total volume for an exchange of 1.86 million shares, followed by Transjamaican Highway with 15.2 percent after 1.52 million units traded, Ciboney Group with 11.7 percent after 1.17 million units changed hands and QWI Investments with 11 percent after trading 1.1 million shares.
Trading averaged 188,685 units at $1,125,453 compared to 178,628 shares at $2,434,276 on Friday and month to date, an average of 241,013 units at $2,372,257, compared to 252,197 units at $2,638,711 on Friday. October closed with an average of 251,350 units at $2,773,208.
At the close, Eppley dropped $1 to end at $37 after trading 289 shares, GraceKennedy shed $1.94 to $98 in exchanging 30,599 stock units, Guardian Holdings dived $28 to close at $537 with the swapping of 169 units. Jamaica Broilers shed $1.30 to end at $28.70 in switching owner hip of 125,618 stocks, Jamaica Producers fell $1.75 to $21.75 in exchanging 159,063 shares, JMMB Group lost 32 cents to finish at $37 in trading 193,596 stocks. Key Insurance gained 26 cents ending at $4.38 after 75,107 shares changed hands, Kingston Properties shed 85 cents to settle at $8 with an exchange of 110,734 units, Mayberry Investments dipped 43 cents to close at $8.77 in transferring 513,349 stock units. Mayberry Jamaican Equities spiked 50 cents to $9 with 25,400 stocks crossing the market, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy declined $5 to close at $110 with 310 shares changing hands, NCB Financial fell $5.03 to a 52 weeks’ low of $120 after crossing the exchange with 57,180 units and trading as low as $110. 
Palace Amusement dropped $23 to $1,000 with the swapping of 205 stock units, PanJam Investment shed $3.49 to end at $63 in an exchange of 12,453 shares, Sagicor Group lost 50 cents in ending at $53 in transferring 3,972 stocks. Seprod fell $3.35 to $60.15 in switching ownership of 22,913 units, Wisynco Group popped $1.20 to $17 after trading 198,417 stocks.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.50% preference share lost 47 cents to end at $6.03 in an exchange of 11,902 shares and Productive Business Solutions 9.75% preference shares advanced $2.10 to close at $72.10 in trading 6,150 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.