Relative stability descends on IC Top 10

The volatility in the Jamaican stock market seems to have ended with the closure of the very popular Fontana IPO.
The main market rose towards the end of the week while the junior market declines have slowed sharply. IC Insider.com expects the usual Christmas rally to take hold and drive prices higher, ahead of 2019.
The attractively underpriced Fontana would be a sure pick for the TOP 10 list but it seems unlikely to be listed before January.
Lasco Financial came re-entered the TOP 10 last week is out having risen from $4.15 to $4.90 at week end. Replacing it is Jamaican Teas that could get a boost from gains in their equity portfolio. In the main market TOP 10, Sagicor Group that came into the list this past week, is now out and is replaced by Sterling Investments that fell in price at the end of the week to $4 from $4.49 the week before.
The main market closed the week with the overall PE remains at 15.7, the PE of the Junior Market remains at 15.8. The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks average 8.8 and the main market PE is now 9.8. The top Junior Market stocks are selling at a discount of 13 percent to those of the main market stocks even as the overall average PE for both markets are almost equal. This is an indication that there may be more gains to be had from these Junior market stocks than those in the main market.
The TOP 10 stocks now trade at an average discount of 44 percent to the average for the Junior Market Top stocks but it’s a third of what the average PE for the year is likely to be of 20 times earnings. The main market stocks trade at a discount of 37 percent to the overall market.
TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns within a 12 months period. Stocks are selected based on projected earnings for each company’s current fiscal year. Based on an assumed PE for each, the likely gains are determined and then ranked, with the stocks with the highest potential gains ranked first followed by the rest, in descending order. Potential values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Earnings per share are revised on an ongoing basis based on new information received that can result in changes in and out of the list as well.