Record JSE run ends – Thursday

After 8 consecutive days of record close, the Jamaica Stock Exchange main market ended down on Thursday, along with a sharp decline in volume traded, compared to Wednesday’s level.
At the close market activity, the main and US markets had 38 securities traded, compared to 32 on Wednesday leading to 10 advancing, 14 declining and 14 closing unchanged. The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index lost 1,047.74 points to close 453,898.97 and the JSE Index declined by 952.11 points to end at 413,463.63.
Trading closed with 1,977,854 units for $90,864,188 changing hands, compared to the big trade on Wednesday of 15,196,273 units at $1,961,044,771, boosted by a 12.6 million NCB Financial shares.
Trading ended with an average of 59,935 units valued $2,753,460, in contrast to 506,542 shares valued at $65,368,159 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 137,805 units valued at $13,039,425 and previously, 150,653 units valued at $15,024,436. Trading for April resulted in an average of 157,923 shares at $3,718,919, for each security traded.
Wisynco Group led trading with 421,521 shares accounting for 21 percent of total main market volume, followed by NCB Financial Group with 382,188 shares, and 19 percent of the day’s trades and Carreras closed with 291,685 shares for 15 percent of volume traded. IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with the reading showing 7 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 closing with lower offers.
In main market activity, Barita Investments lost $1.45 and closed at $43, trading 8,756 shares, Caribbean Cement rose 49 cents to finish at $80.50, with 46,077 shares changing hands, Grace Kennedy lost 70 cents and ended trading of 55,186 shares at $60.80, Jamaica Broilers traded 28,735 shares after falling $2.28 to close at $31.71. Jamaica Producers gained $1.29 in trading 24,716 shares to close at $23.50, Kingston Wharves lost $1 trading 1,979 shares in closing at $70, Mayberry Investments dropped $1.01 to end trading of 3,022 shares, at $8.49, Mayberry Jamaican Equities shed 49 cents trading 29,389 shares at $10.01, NCB Financial Group lost $2.96 trading 382,188 shares to close at $147.05. PanJam Investment concluded trading of 2,800 shares and gained $1 to end at a record closing high of $91, Pulse Investments concluded trading at $2.50, with 281,094 shares, Sagicor Group declined $1 to end at $47 trading 44,572 stock units, Salada Foods lost 99 cents to end at $31.01 after trading 2,060 shares. Scotia Group  traded 9,476 units and lost 70 cents in closing at $50.30,  Seprod declined 46 cents trading 122,514 shares to close at $44.05, Supreme Ventures  finished with a rise of $1 to close at a 52 weeks’ high of at $31, with 158,160 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments lost 58 cents to close at $12.40 with an exchange of 7,200 shares and Wisynco Group ended trading with 421,521 shares with a rise of 30 cents to end at $14.55.
Trading in the US dollar market ended with 36,316 units valued at over US$22,506 with JMMB Group  6% preference share concluded trading 19,000 units at $1.05, Margaritaville  completed trading of 343 shares at 25 US cents.  Productivity Business  rose 1 cent to close at 60 us cents with 863 stock units trading and Proven Investments closed trading with 2,510 units in closing at 24 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index fell 0.76 points to close at 181.56.