Stocks mostly rise in moderate trading

Trading in the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed Thursday with 23 securities changing hands and 1 trading in the US dollar market. In the main market, 12 stocks advanced and 7 declined in the main market.
Trading levels in main market ended at 5,370,742 units valued at $94,687,874 compared to 4,735,330 units valued at $232,334,549 at the close on Wednesday. Trading in the US dollar market accounted for 22,600 units valued at US$6,642.
The All Jamaica Composite Index advanced 207.42 points to close at 243,513.01 the JSE Market Index gained 188.98 points to finish at 221,867.93 and the JSE US dollar market index lost 4.47 points to end at 218.16.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and US dollar markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 10 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
The main market ended trading with an average of 184,556 units on Thursday, compared to an average of 189,413 units on the previous trading day. The average volume and value for February, ended at 223,938 units and $1,379,459.
In market activity, Berger Paints closed at $13, with gains of 90 cents while trading 90,275 shares, Cable and Wireless closed at $1.30, adding 1 cent with trades of 211,079 units, Caribbean Cement closed 60 cents higher to $31.80 with an exchange of 9,127 units. Carreras dropped 51 cents to close at $69.50 trading 16,967 shares, Grace Kennedy closed $1.90 lower to $41.10 with 9,968 units, Jamaica Broilers gained 50 cents to close at $16, with an exchange of 31,624 shares, Jamaica Producers traded 76,500 shares at $16, Jamaica Stock Exchange closed at $7.96, with 39,382 units changing hands. JMMB Group gained 48 cents, closing at $17.98 with trades of 59,426 units, Kingston Wharves advanced $1 to $31, with 144,600 units changing owners, Mayberry Investments lost 5 cents and closed at $5.20 with an exchange of 1,867 shares, NCB Financial Group slipped $1 to $61, after exchanging 76,297 shares, 1834 Investments gained 10 cents, closing at $1.60 with 500 shares changing hands, Palace Amusement jumped $5 in closing at an all-time high of $200, with just 100 units being exchanged, Pan Jamaican dropped $2.94 to close at $34.06 trading 1,665,400 shares, Portland JSX closed 99 cents higher to $10.99 in exchanging 850 units, Pulse Investments traded 27,271 units at $8.50. Sagicor Group closed at $33.50 with gains of 2 cents trading 298,726 shares, Scotia Group added 10 cents to close at $38.20, with 42,312 units traded, Seprod closed at $39 with trades of 3,160 shares, Supreme Ventures closed 29 cents higher to $6.29, with 1,516,503 shares changing hands. Proven Investments lost 4 US cents to close at 27 US cents trading 22,600 ordinary shares, JMMB Group 7.25% preference share exchanged 1,000 units at $1.50, and JMMB Group 7.5% preference share closed at $1.10 with trades of 1,047,808 units.