Investors drove the majority of stock prices down on the first trading day for March with declining stocks beating out advancing ones three to one and pulling the Main Market down just over 6 percent for the year.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index plummeted 4,132.06 points to close at 525,590.16, the JSE Market Index tumbled 3,791.47 points to 478,518.62 and the JSE Financial Index lost 1.47 points to 129.14.
The market closed with 45 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with the prices of ten advancing, 30 declining and five trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 41 securities accounting for 32,117,425 units valued at $138,131,956 in contrast to 61,902,088 units valued at $374,112,515 from 42 securities on Friday.
Sagicor Select Financial Fund dominated trading with 20.3 million shares for 63 percent of total volume, Wigton Windfarm followed with 6.1 million units for 19 percent of the day’s trade and Wisynco Group with 1.3 million units for 4.2 percent market share.
The Market closed with an average of 783,352 units valued at an average of $3,369,072 for each security traded, in contrast to 1,473,859 units valued at an average of $8,907,441 on Friday. Trading in February resulted in an average of 624,731 units valued at $3,239,665 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows twelve stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 18.3, while the Main Market ended at 17.6 times the 2019 earnings.
In the prime market, Barita Investments lost 50 cents in closing at $66, with an exchange of 10,807 shares, Berger Paints ended at a 52 weeks’ low of $12.75, after losing $1.25 in transferring 1,238 stock units, Caribbean Cement dropped $6.49 to settle at $71.50, in swapping 19,413 units. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund slid $4 to $42 trading 1,699 shares, First Rock Capital fell $2.10 to a 52 weeks’ low of $9.90, with 102,462 stock units changing hands, Grace Kennedy slipped $2.01 to $65.99, exchanging 44,838 units. Jamaica Broilers shed $3.70 to end at $36 in transferring 66,313 stock units, Jamaica Producers gained $1 to close at $22 after trading 54,510 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange dived $4.10 to $27.50, after swapping 601,102 stock units. JMMB Group ended at $40.75, with a loss of $3.80 in exchanging 234,108 shares, Kingston Wharves closed $2.03 lower to $51, in transferring 27,387 units. Mayberry Jamaican Equities lost 59 cents to end at $10.85, in swapping 10,000 stock units, NCB Financial shed $2 to end at $182 trading 56,333 units, 138 Student Living gained of 62 cents to $6.85, with and 8,056 stock units changing hands. PanJam Investment closed 49 cents higher to $99.99, with 125,859 shares traded, Portland JSX lost $1.30 to finish at $9.70, after exchanging 9,139 units, Proven Investments lost $1 to settle at $48, in trading 6,763 stock units. Pulse Investments gained 35 cents to close at $11.45, in swapping 66,358 shares, Sagicor Group lost 50 cents to end at $66.50, with an exchange of 42,533 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed at $9.50, with a loss of 35 cents after trading 120,731 shares. Salada Foods finished 75 cents higher after swapping 100 units and closed at $35. 
Scotia Group ended at $54.50, with gains of 50 cents in transferring 7,975 shares, Seprod declined by $2.59 to $51.41, with 38,386 shares changing hands, Stanley Motta lost 74 cents to close at $4.86 in trading 17,700 shares, Sterling Investments jumped 69 cents and ended at $3.60, after exchanging 556,975 shares. Supreme Ventures lost 50 cents to settle at $21, in swapping 100,761 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments shed 94 cents to finish at $25, after transferring 36,384 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments dropped $1.20 to $8.05, trading 221,309 shares and Wisynco Group lost 43 cents to end the day’s trade of 1,334,069 shares at $22.67.
Trading in the US dollar market ended with 102,077 units for US$27,973. The market lost 7.02 points to close at 221.13. First Rock Capital lost 2.1 cents in exchanging 5,000 units at an all-time low of 9.9 US cents, Proven Investments lost 2 cents to end at 29 US cents, with 91,928 units changing hands. Sterling Investments gained 0.01 cent after swapping 1,086 units to close at 2.85 US cents and Sygnus Credit Investments closed at 19.5 US cents, with a loss of 2.5 cents in trading 4,063 shares.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
