The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market continues to experience negative movement in March with another session of declines in the market indices in trading on Wednesday. At the close, the volume of stocks traded declined 26 percent with the value remaining the same level as on Tuesday, following trading in 59 securities as was the case on Tuesday, with prices of 22 rising, 21 declining and 16 ending unchanged as NCB Financial closed at an 8½ low of $44.40 after trading at an intraday multi low of $42.04 going back to 2016.
The market closed with 7,555,395 shares trading for $61,391,837 compared with 10,196,021 stock units at $61,375,187 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 128,058 shares at $1,040,540 compared to 172,814 stocks at $1,040,257 on Tuesday and month to date, an average of 732,145 units at $26,454,353 just lower than 786,725 shares at $28,750,548 on the previous day and well above February with an average of 405,332 stock units at $1,953,730.
JMMB Group 7.35% – 2028 preferred stock led trading with 2.38 million shares for 31.5 percent of total volume traded followed by Transjamaican Highway with 1.73 million stock units for 22.9 percent of the day’s trade and Wigton Energy with 986,326 stocks for 13.1 percent of the total volume of stocks traded.
The All Jamaican Composite Index dipped 1,307.11 points to end at 374,532.12, the JSE Main Index fell 1,419.05 points to 323,378.55 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.15 points to 66.94. The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 10 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
The Main Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 15.1. 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.
At the close of a day of slow trading, Berger Paints rallied 81 cents to end at $7.96 with an exchange of 722 stock units, Caribbean Cement skidded 68 cents to $83.32 with 2,634 shares passing through the market, Eppley Caribbean Fund sank 73 cents to close at $35 in trading 224 units. First Rock Real Estate rose 50 cents to finish at $9.02 in an exchange of 7,472 stocks, Guardian Holdings jumped with a $12 gain and ended at $303 with investors trading 184 units, Jamaica Broilers dipped $1.70 in closing at $33.60 with 38,485 stocks crossing the market. Jamaica Producers sank $1 to $22.84 in trading 222 shares, Kingston Properties lost 40 cents in closing at $9.50 with 136 stock units crossing the market, Lasco Manufacturing dropped 38 cents to end at $7.11 with investors swapping 139,993 shares. Margaritaville popped 75 cents to close at $16 with 7,010 stocks clearing the market, Massy Holdings climbed $1.66 and ended at $80.97 with an exchange of 348,865 units, Mayberry Jamaican Equities fell 58 cents to finish at $9.42 after 4,504 stock units changed hands.
Pan Jamaica increased $1.50 to $51.50 with a transfer of 16,050 shares, Scotia Group slipped 99 cents to end at $56.01 after an exchange of 48,091 stocks, Seprod advanced $2.55 in closing at $89.90 with investors trading 2,725 units. Stanley Motta shed 85 cents and ended at $6 in an exchange of 9,506 stocks and Sygnus Credit Investments popped 64 cents to close at $12.70 with traders dealing in 16,917 shares.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 7.15% – 2028 advanced 39 cents to finish at $2.99 with 204 units switching owners. 138 Student Living preference share declined $18.48 to $293.50 after a transfer of 25 stocks and Sygnus Credit Investments C10.5% sank $4.94 to end at $97.05 as investors exchanged 1,335 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.