Trading closed Friday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange with 43 shares rising, 35 declining and 24 remaining firm, following a modest fall in the volume of stocks exchanged, with a higher value than on Thursday. The market closed with the major indices of the Main Market declining, while the Junior Market index and the JSE USD Market index rose to close out the week.
At the close of the market, the JSE Combined Market Index declined 1,005.12 points to 323,497.85, the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 1,948.53 points to close at 358,550.17, the JSE Main Index dipped 1,151.15 points to finish trading at 313,597.07, the Junior Market Index rose 13.57 points to end at 3,296.71 and the JSE USD Market Index increased 6.04 points to 204.38.
Investors traded 22,837,024 shares in all three markets, down moderately from 24,221,455 units on Thursday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounting to $101.05 million, up from $82.65 million on the previous day. The JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 285,516 shares for US$19,881 compared to 221,178 units at US$11,156 on Thursday.
In Main Market activity, Transjamaican Highway led trading with 6.82 million shares, followed by Carreras with 2.52 million stocks and Supreme Ventures with 331,216 units.
In Junior Market trading, Kintyre Holdings led trading for a second day, with 5.86 million shares, as the price closed at 55 cents up from Thursday’s 46 cents close, followed by EduFocal, with 3.08 million stocks after trading for the first time in months, with lifting of suspension of trading in the shares, due to the late submission of financial results. Derrimon Trading ended trading with 511,000 units changing hands.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% declined $6.72 after closing at $38 and Jamaica Public Service 9.5% fell $389.85 to $2,209.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to value stocks, ended at 13.8 based on 2025-26 earnings and 15 based on 2024 historical earnings. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the other, more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making. The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, for easy comparisons within a sector and the overall market. The earnings per share (EPS) and PE ratios are based on 2024 and 2025 actual or projected earnings, excluding any major one time income or expense.
Pertinent information is required to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The chart should be used in making rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the sector average, 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 incorporated into the chart. Investors can use this measure in assessing stock values. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movements based on the last traded prices. Dividends that are paid or are due to be paid and yields for each