Falling stocks dominated those rising 2 to 1 at the close of market activity on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Monday after 58 securities traded up from 51 on Friday and ended with 14 rising, 27 declining and 17 ending unchanged with the volume of stocks traded rising moderately and the value falling 73 percent compared to Friday.
A total of 9,807,711 shares were traded for $34,195,444 compared to 9,464,712 units at $128,636,676 on Friday.
Trading averages 169,098 units at $589,577 versus 185,583 shares at $2,522,288 on Friday and month to date, an average of 146,402 units at $1,396,737 compared with 144,740 units at $1,455,847 on the previous day. Trading in December averaged 604,110 units at $4,072,598.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 4.82 million shares for 49.2 percent of total volume followed by Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.19 million units for 12.1 percent of the day’s trade and Transjamaican Highway with 1.10 million units for 11.2 percent market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index fell 840.56 points to 385,221.99, the JSE Main Index declined 632.70 points to 340,098.47 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.11 points to 81.17.
The PE Ratio, a formula to ascertain appropriate stock values, averages 14.6 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios incorporate earnings forecasted by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending between November 2022 and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Berger Paints rallied 45 cents to end at $9.95 after 854 shares cleared the market, Caribbean Cement shed $1.55 in closing at $58.45 with 16,327 units changing hands, Caribbean Producers shed 33 cents in ending at $11.17 with 119,694 units being exchanged. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund advanced 44 cents to $49.94 in switching owners of 50 stock units. GraceKennedy popped $3 while ending at $82 after exchanging 32,986 stocks, 
Guardian Holdings climbed $8 to close at $520 with a transfer of 170 units, JMMB Group lost 40 cents to end at $34 in exchanging 79,318 stock units. Massy Holdings fell $1.42 to close at $78.58 in trading 44,995 shares, Mayberry Jamaican Equities advanced $1.09 to $12.99 after swapping of 1,305 stocks, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $8 to $75 with investors transferring 1,124 stocks. Portland JSX rose $1.10 in ending at $11.50 after three shares passed through the market, Sagicor Group declined $1.99 to close at $48.51 trading 19,963 stock units, Seprod dipped $1.49 to $67.50 as investors exchanged 9,530 units and Sterling Investments shed 47 cents to $2.60 trading 26,099 stocks.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 7% preference share gained 59 cents in closing at $2.84 transferring 31 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
