Surge in Junior Market trading

The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange hit a new intraday record high in early trading on Monday, with the market index rising to 4,236.63 points within a minute of the opening, but it just failed to hold on to the record with a loss of just 0.42 points to settle at 4,205.36, after the volume of stocks traded surged 209 percent and the value jumped 189 percent over Friday’s levels.
At the close, 43 securities traded compared to 44 on Friday and ended, with 17 rising, 13 declining and 13 closing unchanged. Lasco Manufacturing and Tropical Battery traded at 52 weeks’ highs.
The PE Ratio, a measure used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 22.5. The PE ratio of each stock in the chart below is based on ICInsider.com earnings forecast for companies with financial years up to August 2022.
Some 71,534,884 shares traded for $242,214,271 up from 23,122,693 units at $83,802,194 on Friday. Spur Tree Spices led trading with 51.23 million shares for 71.6 percent of total volume. EduFocal traded 5.43 million units for 7.6 percent of the day’s trade. JFP Limited contributed 3.73 million units for 5.2 percent market share. Tropical Battery chipped in with 3.45 million units for 4.8 percent market share and Lumber Depot ended with 2.63 million units for 3.7 percent of total shares traded.
Trading averaged 1,663,602 shares at $5,632,890 in contrast to 525,516 shares at $1,904,595 on Friday with the month to date, averaging 688,614 units at $2,523,532 compared to 633,084 units at $2,346,443 on the previous trading day. February closed with an average of 370,064 units at $1,402,517.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ended with the bid higher than the last selling price and five with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial declined $1 to end at $19, trading 1,010 shares, CAC 2000 shed 20 cents in closing at $7.50, in swapping 10,688 units, Cargo Handlers rose 15 cents to close at $11.95 after exchanging 1,500 stock units. Caribbean Cream advanced 10 cents to $5.22 after 703 stocks crossed the exchange, Dolphin Cove lost $1.20 in ending at $25.50 after 68,615 stock units were traded, EduFocal fell 23 cents to $3.30 in an exchange of 5,432,988 stocks. Elite Diagnostic dropped 19 cents to close at $2.81 in exchanging 119,389 shares, Express Catering climbed 10 cents after ending at $6.10, with 660,849 units clearing the market, Fontana declined 25 cents to $10 in trading 172,837 units. Future Energy Source gained 18 cents to end at $6.68, with 754,139 stocks changing hands, Jetcon Corporation lost 13 cents in closing at $1.04, with 704,605 shares crossing the market, Lasco Manufacturing rose 75 cents to a 52 weeks’ high of $5.75 in switching ownership of 119,232 stock units. Main Event fell 45 cents to end at $8.50 while exchanging 32,291 shares, Paramount Trading popped 27 cents to close at $1.72 after finishing trading 1,801 stocks, Spur Tree Spices rallied 23 cents to $3.89 with 51,227,729 stock units crossing the market. Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 52 cents to $7.55 with an exchange of 2,570 units and tTech increased 17 cents in closing at $4.22 after an exchange of 191 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.