Rising stocks push up market

Main Market stocks enjoyed a day when stocks gaining bettered those declining as trading activity ended on Wednesday with the market indices rebounding after more stocks rose than declined, with the volume of shares traded falling 83 percent and valuing 60 percent less than on Tuesday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index advanced 1,662.75 points to 455,560.97, the JSE Main Index climbed 2,127.16 points to end at 418,464.25 and the JSE Financial Index rose 0.88 points to 103.24.
Trading ended with 54 securities compared to 49 on Tuesday, with 23 stocks rising, 17 declining and 14 remaining unchanged. The PE Ratio, a measure that determines an appropriate relative stock value, averages 16.4 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings.
Investors traded 7,532,755 shares, down sharply from 45,475,975 units on Tuesday after spending $103,655,179 versus at $256,468,028 previously. Transjamaican Highway led trading with 28.9 percent of total volume for an exchange of 2.18 million shares, followed by Radio Jamaica with 11.2 percent for 842,024 units and Barita Investments 11.1 percent, with 839,640 units.
Trading averaged 139,495 units at $1,919,540, down from 928,081 shares at $5,234,041 on Tuesday. Trading month to date averages 349,306 units at $21,057,034, in contrast to 365,726 units at $22,554,751 on Tuesday. June ended with an average of 249,610 units at $3,877,606.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has 12 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Barita Investments shed 59 cents to end at $83.41 with a transfer of 839,640 shares, Berger Paints spiked 90 cents to $13.90 in exchanging 20 stock units, Caribbean Cement popped $1.25 to $92.75 with 1,654 units crossing the market. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund spiked $1.85 to $43 with the swapping of 27 stocks, Grace Kennedy lost 49 cents to close at $99.50 in switching ownership of 12,187 units. Guardian Holdings surged $24 to $670 in trading 526 stocks, Kingston Properties rallied 85 cents to $9.90 in exchanging 6,700 stock units, Kingston Wharves declined $2.32 to $47.60, with 11,630 shares changing hands. Margaritaville fell 25 cents to $14.50 with 8,513 units crossing the exchange, Mayberry Investments shed 45 cents to $5.70 with the swapping of 3,760 shares, Mayberry Jamaican Equities fell 25 cents to $9.05 in switching ownership of 36,860 stocks. NCB Financial rose 99 cents to $139.99 in switching ownership of 21,567 stock units, Palace Amusement climbed $40 to $1,100 in trading 124 stocks, PanJam Investment slipped $1 to $64 after an exchange of 6,052 units. Portland JSX rose 83 cents to $8 in trading 179 stock units, Proven Investments picked up 40 cents to close at $34.50 after trading 31,665 stocks, Radio Jamaica popped 5 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $2.05 while exchanging 842,024 shares. Sagicor Group advanced $3 to $55 in switching ownership of 61,758 shares, Seprod fell 80 cents to $69.19 with 17,791 shares changing hands, Sterling Investments gained 20 cents to end at $3 with 163,311 units crossing the market and Sygnus Credit Investments lost 38 cents after ending at $14.72 in trading 20,833 units.
In the preference segment, Eppley 8.75% preference share rallied 30 cents to $7.50, with 17,757 stocks crossing the market, Eppley 7.5% preference share spiked $1.64 to $12.64 with an exchange of 6,210 stock units and JMMB Group 7.35% – 2028 gained 25 cents in ending at $3.50 after trading 1,000 units. In the Corporate Bond market Guardian Holdings 6.5% due 2025 rose by $1.63 to $102.91 in exchanging 14 million units.

Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.