Pick up in JSE trading – Tuesday

Trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Tuesday with JSE All Jamaican Composite Index recovered 2,246.27 points it lost on Monday to reach 421,015.95 and the JSE Index regained 2,041.20 points to end at 383,583.75.
Volume traded climbed 30 over Monday’s level to 3,652,445 units but the value more than doubled, to $151,937,909, compared to 2,806,548 units valued $75,154,263 changing hands on Monday.
At the close of the main and US markets, 33 securities traded, compared to 30 on Monday and leading to 10 advancing, 12 declining and 11 closing unchanged. Supreme Ventures ended at a record closing high of $26 but JMMB Group 7% preference share ended at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.95 and drove the yield to 8 percent.
Grace Kennedy led trading with 1,667,776 units, accounting for 46 percent of the day’s volume in the main market, followed by Barita Investments with 551,739 units or 15 percent of the volume traded and Victoria Mutual Investments with 367,668 shares amounting to 10 percent of the overall volume.
Market activity ended with an average of 121,748 units valued at over $5,064,597, in contrast to 96,778 shares valued at $2,591,526 on Monday. The average volume and value for the month to date, amounts to 347,829 shares at $10,473,147 for each security traded, in contrast to 360,389 shares at $10,793,179 on the prior trading day. Trading for February resulted in an average of 281,016 shares with a value of $11,715,160, for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the reading showing 14 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments closed with a loss of $1.49 at $41, with 551,739 shares trading, Berger Paints climbed $1 to $20, in exchanging 1,853 stock units, Caribbean Cement lost 50 cents to close at $55, with 41,992 shares changing hands. Grace Kennedy gained $1 trading 1,667,776 stock units, to close at $59, Jamaica Broilers climbed $1.89 and finished trading 4,783 units at $31.90, JMMB Group rose 98 cents trading of 57,316 shares to close at $31. Kingston Wharves jumped $5.01 and finished at $70.01, with an exchange of 2,179 stock units, NCB Financial Group lost 25 cents and ended trading 85,329 shares at $144.70, Sagicor Group lost 50 cents to settle at $39, with 10,211 shares changing hands. Scotia Group gained 80 cents, trading 1,672 shares, to close at $51, Supreme Ventures rose 50 cents to finish at a 52 weeks’ closing high of $26, with an exchange of 120,455 units.
Trading in the US dollar market resulted in 33,305 units for US$9,172 changing hands with JMMB Group 6% USD preference shares traded 3,300 shares at US$1.01, Proven Investments traded 21,160 units at 22.99 US cents followed by Sygnus Credit Investments exchanged 8,845 units at 11 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index advanced 0.21 points to close at 179.86.