Paramount, the dominant Junior Market trade

Paramount Trading dominated market activity on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday, on Monday in cornering 75 percent of the market and sending the volume of stocks traded surging 453 percent and the value 524 percent higher than on Friday after trading took place in all 48 securities compared with 43 on Friday and ended with 23 rising, 19 declining and six closing unchanged.
Investors traded 37,338,614 shares at $85,131,000 compared with 6,750,745 units at $13,652,638 on Friday.
Trading averaged 777,888 shares at $1,773,562, up from 156,994 units at $317,503 on Friday, with a month-to-date average of 210,517 stock units at $527,554 versus 168,748 shares at $435,824 on the previous day. Trading in April closed with an average of 266,661 units at $2,583,503.
Paramount Trading led trading with 27.82 million shares for 74.5 percent of total volume, followed by Jamaican Teas with 2.72 million units for 7.3 percent of the day’s trade, Spur Tree Spices with 2.10 million units for 5.6 percent market share and Fosrich with 1.59 million units for 4.3 percent of total volume.
At the close, the Junior Market Index climbed 12.74 points to 3,759.14.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 10.7. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed using the last traded price in conjunction with ICInsider.com’s projected earnings for the financial years ending between November 2023 and August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
At the close, Blue Power fell 39 cents to $2.05 with an exchange of 21 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers dipped 9 cents in closing at $2.35 with shareholders swapping 71,020 units, Dolphin Cove climbed 45 cents to end at $16.90 after an exchange of 17,847 stocks, Express Catering popped 21 cents to $5.15, after 263,085 stock units changed hands, Fosrich slipped 9 cents to $2.41 after 1,593,293 shares passed through the market, GWest Corporation fell 12 cents to end at 90 cents in trading 654 stock units, Honey Bun advanced 70 cents in closing at $7 after a transfer of 165,127 stocks, Indies Pharma declined 9 cents and ended at $3.06, with 42,605 units crossing the market, Iron Rock Insurance dropped 65 cents to close at $1.85 with 66,268 units clearing the market, KLE Group dipped 16 cents to $1.50 with a transfer of 35,269 shares, Knutsford Express fell 96 cents to end at $10.04 with investors transferring 1,397 stock units, Lasco Distributors rose 8 cents in closing at $2.75 with an exchange of 44,444 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing rallied 13 cents and ended at $4.13 after 25,603 shares changed hands, Lumber Depot increased 8 cents to close at $2.28 with investors swapping 87,229 units, Main Event shed 45 cents to end at $12.55 8,189 stock units changing hands, Medical Disposables gained 70 cents to close at $5.50, with a mere 11 stocks crossing the market, Paramount Trading climbed 11 cents in closing at $2.19 with an exchange of 27,820,000 shares, Stationery and Office Supplies advanced $1.59 in ending at $15.59 following the switching ownership of one unit and tTech lost 36 cents to end at $2.15 in trading 179 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.