NCB controls half the Main Market

NCB Financial was the commanding trade on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Friday, with investors trading more than 23 million shares of the financial conglomerate, with a value of $1.1 billion, which was the primary driver of the sharp 143 percent hike in the volume of stocks traded with the value surging 784 percent over Thursday, with trading occurring in 60 securities as was the case on Thursday and ended with prices of 32 stocks rising, 12 declining and 16 ending unchanged.
The market closed with 47,144,468 shares trading for $1,680,812,024 well above the 19,364,021 units at $190,164,266 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 785,741 shares at $28,013,534 compared to 322,734 stocks at $3,169,404 on Thursday and month to date, an average of 582,583 units at $8,871,528 up from 571,532 shares at $7,830,258 on the prior day and August that averaged 290,511 units at $2,258,494.
NCB Financial led trading with 23.01 million shares for 48.8 percent of total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 8.95 million stocks for 19 percent of the day’s trade, Barita Investments with 4.16 million stock units for 8.8 percent market share, Transjamaican Highway with 2.32 million shares for 4.9 percent of market share, Radio Jamaica closed with 1.99 million stock units for 4.2 percent of traded shares and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.52 million units for 3.2 percent of total volume.
The All Jamaican Composite Index gained a solid 5,154.96 points to end at 358,668.76, the JSE Main Index jumped 3,160.11 points to end the day at 312,986.31 and the JSE Financial Index rose 0.77 points to end the day at 65.44.
The Main Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 14.4. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are based on last traded prices and earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending around August 2025.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close of the market ahead of the last trading day for September, Barita Investments rallied $3.40 to $76.90 and closed after 4,156,680 stock units passed through the exchange, Berger Paints popped $1.15 to close at $7.40 with traders dealing in 19,087 shares, following a small block of shares that overhung the market for a few weeks. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund advanced $1.98 to $42 with just 5 units crossing the exchange. GraceKennedy rose 50 cents to end at $73.50 with investors swapping 676,599 stocks, Guardian Holdings climbed $5 in closing at $312 with a transfer of 52 units, Jamaica Broilers increased $1.47 to finish at $35.37 after an exchange of 426,037 shares. Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 60 cents and ended at $10.80 in trading 357,317 stock units, Kingston Wharves rose 95 cents to $26.95, with 24,942 stocks crossing the market, Margaritaville climbed $1.13 in closing at $15.34 in an exchange of just one share. Mayberry Jamaican Equities popped 60 cents to finish at $11 with investors dealing in 12,730 stock units, Sagicor Group declined $1.71 to close at $37.04 in switching ownership of 54,963 stocks and Supreme Ventures rallied 50 cents to end at $24.50 after an exchange of 394,455 units.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% increased by $4.99 in closing at $47 after investors ended trading 417 stocks, Jamaica Public Service 9.5% sank $1 to $2,699 as investors exchanged just one stock unit and 138 Student Living preference share advanced $19.01 to finish at $199 after just two shares passed through the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.