Slow trading on Jamaica Stock Exchange

In a slow trading session on Thursday, the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange resulted in marginal changes to the primary indices as the Junior Market finished down from Wednesday’s close and the JSE USD ended marginally lower with the volume and value of stocks changing hands falling, resulting in prices of only 24 shares rising and 43 declining.
At the close of the market, the JSE Combined Market Index climbed 727.53 points to 328,374.19, the All Jamaican Composite Index gained 961.07 points to 353,433.03, the JSE Main Index dropped 477.47 points to 315,932.85. The Junior Market Index fell 38.18 points to end trading at 3,660.89 and the JSE USD Market Index slipped 0.74 points to 219.12.
At the close of trading, 12,816,438 shares were exchanged in all three markets, from 14,069,009 units on Wednesday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounted to $58.16 million, below the $70.97 million on the previous trading day and the JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 63,388 shares for US$42,622 compared to 105,065 units at US$5,087 on Wednesday.
In Main Market activity, Sagicor Select Financial Fund led trading with 1.82 million shares followed by Transjamaican Highway with 1.37 million stock units and QWI Investments with 1.0 million units.
In Junior Market trading, iCreate led trading with 1.92 million shares after the lifting of suspension on Wednesday followed by the recently listed Omni Industries with 1.20 million stocks and One Great Studio with 550,803 units.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.50% preference share rose $1 and ended at $6.50 and Jamaica Public Service 7% rallied $1.99 to end at $47.99.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks, ended at 21.1 on 2023-24 earnings and 13.3 times those for 2024-25 at the close of trading. ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, allowing for easy comparisons within a sector and the overall market. The EPS and PE ratios are based on 2023 and 2024 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items.
Pertinent information is required to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The chart should be used in making rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector, not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide for investors to quickly assess the value of stocks based on this measure. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends paid or payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume of the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.