Sharp decline in prices of Seprod, AS Bryden, Guardian Holdings, Grace Kennedy and Carreras overwhelmed winning stocks, on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Wednesday, leading to a notable 4,165 points slippage in the Main Market index. Trading ended with 59 securities changing hands, up from 57 on Tuesday, with prices of 18 rising, 29 declining and 12 ending unchanged.
The market closed with trading of 12,263,110 shares, compared to 12,379,931 stocks on Tuesday, with the value falling 57 percent to $111,826,164, well off from $259,288,386 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 207,849 shares at $1,895,359, after sliding from 217,192 stocks at $4,548,919 on Tuesday and month to date, an average of 190,645 stock units at $2,234,698 compared to 188,234 shares at $2,282,254 on the prior day and February ending with an average of 296,521 stock units at $2,650,049.
Wigton Energy led trading with 3.51 million shares for 28.7 percent of total volume followed by Transjamaican Highway which ended with 2.29 million stocks for 18.7 percent of the day’s trade, Sagicor Select Financial Fund closed with 1.17 million stock units for 9.6 percent of the volume traded, Carreras with 1.17 million shares for 9.5 percent of the overall volume, NCB Financial ended with 1.07 million stocks for 8.7 percent of the day’s trade and QWI Investments with 1.03 million stock units for 8.4 percent of market share.
The All Jamaican Composite Index skidded 3,568.80 points to cease trading at 400,277.39, the JSE Main Index dipped 4,165.03 points to 341,511.82 and the JSE Financial Index fell 0.36 points to 62.98.
At the close, Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 11 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
The Main Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 20.7. The JSE Main and the USD Market PE ratios are based on last traded prices and earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending around August 2026.
At the close of the market, AS Bryden declined $4.31 to close at $27.51 with traders dealing in 2,395 shares, Caribbean Cement rallied $1.15 to $102.90 with 2,408 stocks changing hands, Caribbean Producers popped 58 cents and ended at $6.58 with investors trading 9,593 shares. Carreras sank $1.32 in closing at $20.18 with 1,166,132 units crossing the market, Eppley advanced $1.09 to finish at $35.99 after the trading of 4,101 stock units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund slipped $1.20 to $40.40 after an exchange of 222 shares. 
First Rock Real Estate fell 89 cents to $8.30 with investors trading 16,002 stock units, GraceKennedy dipped $1.71 to end at $70.50 after a transfer of 18,485 units, Guardian Holdings lost $2 to $338 with the trading of 12,108 stocks. JMMB Group sank 66 cents to end at $16.88 with 49,586 units crossing the exchange, Kingston Wharves skidded $1 to $36 in switching ownership of 6,762 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing dropped 49 cents to finish at $6.45 with investors swapping 21,787 shares. Mayberry Group shed 41 cents to $6 after an exchange of 10,001 stock units, NCB Financial rose $1.35 to close at $44.37 in trading 1,067,021 shares, Proven Investments sank 47 cents to finish at $12.50 with 15,134 stocks crossing the market and Seprod fell $5.80 and ended at $73 with an exchange of 4,159 units.
In the preference segment, 138 Student Living preference share lost $4.29 in closing at $234.70 after traders swapped 6 stock units and Productive Business Solutions 10.5% slipped $1 to end at $1,198 with investors dealing in 11 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.