In a sedate trading session on Thursday, the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed with modest activity, with 15 percent fewer shares changing hands than on Wednesday and ended with modest changes in the market index rising after more stocks advanced than declined.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dipped 55.38 points to 426,012.48, the Main Index gained 128.37 points to 388,746.14 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.08 points to settle at 100.17.
Trading ended with 43 securities changing hands compared to 42 on Wednesday and closed with prices of 19 stocks rising, 14 declining and 10 remaining unchanged. The PE Ratio closed with an average of 16.9 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Traders exchanged 12,956,415 shares for $60,027,692 compared to 15,177,464 units at $53,121,465 on Wednesday. Wigton Windfarm led trading with 35.2 percent of total volume for 4.56 million shares, followed by Pulse Investments with 21.9 percent for 2.83 million units, Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 9.9 percent for 1.28 million units, Eppley 8.9 percent for 1.16 million units and QWI Investments with 1.11 million units for 8.6 percent market share.
Trading for the day averaged 301,312 units at $1,395,993 for each security compared to an average of 361,368 shares at $1,264,797 on Wednesday. Trading month to date averaged 346,427 units at $1,133,366, in contrast to 351,891 units at $1,101,554 on the prior trading day. Trading in December averaged 455,206 units at $7,774,631.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close of business, Berger Paints shed 57 cents to settle at $13.50 after trading 35,788 shares, Caribbean Cement rose $3.35 to $63.50, with 2,890 stock units crossing the market, Eppley dropped $2.21 to $19.43, after exchanging 1,156,045 stock units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund climbed $7 to close at $48, in trading 2,439 units. Jamaica Broilers rose 49 cents to $28 after crossing the market with 3,423 shares. Jamaica Producers gained 23 cents to end at $20, with an exchange of 6,713 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 35 cents to settle at $18.95, trading 1,166 stock units, JMMB Group shed 49 cents in closing at $32.51, with 127,806 shares changing hands. 
Kingston Properties rose 50 cents to $7.25, in exchanging 1,000 units, Kingston Wharves gained 35 cents to $47.50 in exchanging 1,100 shares. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $7.47 to $150 after transferring 250 units, NCB Financial rose 50 cents to $140, trading 12,328 stocks. Pan Jam Investment advanced $5.84 to $71.94, with 270 units changing hands, Scotia Group gained 50 cents to close at $43 after exchanging 7,800 stock units and Seprod climbed $2.20 to $64.20, in trading 13,586 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The All Jamaican Composite Index slumped 3,448.73 points to 427,800.39, the Main Index dropped 3,105.44 points to close at 390,255.61 and the JSE Financial Index dipped 1.17 points to settle at 101.03.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has seven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
Pulse Investments lost 30 cents to end at $4.45, with investors swapping 2,607,378 shares, Sagicor Group rose 85 cents to end at $50.35 after trading 10,629 stock units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund declined by $1.95 to $6.30, as investors swapped 10,000 shares and Salada Foods fell $2.75 to $26, with 871 units crossing the market.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows ten stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Pulse Investments gained 8 cents in closing at $4.75, after exchanging 3,765,486 shares, Sagicor Group shed 95 cents to end at $49.50 in exchanging 9,798 units. Sagicor Real Estate Fund fell 73 cents to $8.25, with 1,010,838 stocks changing hands, Supreme Ventures shed 40 cents in closing at $17.50, after the transfer of 29,737 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments rose 57 cents to $17.27, in trading 9,730 units and Victoria Mutual Investments lost 9 cents in closing at $5.91, with an exchange of 46,532 stock units.
At the close of trading, the All Jamaican Composite Index fell by 779.63 points to 432,047.85, the JSE Main Index shed 705.51 points to 394,081.24 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.23 points to end at 102.37.
Trading averaged 208,926 units at $1,562,771 compared to 965,417 shares at $1,445,448 on Thursday. Trading month to date averaged 333,822 units at $956,327, in contrast to 361,424 units at $822,306 on Thursday. Trading in December averaged 455,206 units at $7,774,631.
Pan Jam Investment climbed $4.97 to $73, with 11,719 stock units changing hands, Proven Investments gained 66 cents to end at $35.79, with 9,626 shares crossing the market, Sagicor Real Estate Fund rose 71 cents to $8.98 trading 2,121 stock units. Salada Foods climbed $3.75 to $28.75, transferring 33 units, Scotia Group fell by $1 to $43, with 175,560 shares crossing the market and Sygnus Credit Investments lost 40 cents to close at $16.70, clearing the market with 51,777 shares.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index advanced by 626.97 points to 432,827.48, the Main Index rose 425.29 points to 394,786.75 and the JSE Financial Index inched 0.06 points higher to 102.60.
Trading averaged 965,417 units at $1,445,448 compared to 175,260 shares at $734,535 on Wednesday. Trading month to date averaged 361,424 units at $822,306 compared to 167,441 units at $622,172 on the prior trading day. Trading in December averaged 455,206 units at $7,774,631.
Proven Investments rose 73 cents to finish at $35.13 in exchanging 2,960 units, Seprod fell $1 to $64, with a transfer of 13,722 stock units, Supreme Ventures gained 31 cents to close at $17.87, with 5,935 shares changing hands.
The markets may have been due for a correction anyway, based on their history. Prior to this period, the Main Market had only risen on two other occasions equalling or exceeding six years. Surprisingly, the market went on to move higher during a period of economic turbulence, from 1978 to 1987, nine years of annual gains and again between 1996 and 2004 for another nine-year spell. On the other hand, the Junior Market, for the first time, recorded five consecutive years of increases from 2015 to 2019.
The number of new IPOs coming to market in the past three years pulled liquidity from the Junior Market, which depends extensively on the involvement of individual investors. In 2018 and 2019, the Junior Market under-performed the Main Market, measured by way of the market indices. In 2020, both markets were down, with the Junior Market just edging out the Main Market index with a lower decline of 21 percent versus 22.6 percent. Even though 2020 was not a great year, some investors made money by buying some stocks at rock bottom prices when many investors were dumping.
The Main Market is undergoing a bullish signal with short term moving average line crossing over the medium-term Moving Average a bullish signal. The Main Market is within an ascending channel that points to the All Jamaican index heading towards the 460,000 points range.
The local economy is currently down sharply, compared to 2019, but information released by 
This year 2021, seems set to be the year of surprises as many stocks that suffered badly in 2020 could be making a major turnaround in revenues and profit, while some that may not fully recover could start showing good signs of returning to normalcy.
December ended with an average of 455,206 units at $7,774,631.
Stanley Motta closed at $5, with a loss of 48 cents exchanging 1,700 units. Supreme Ventures was down 34 cents to $17.56 with the transfer of 55,921 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments gained 34 cents to settle at $16.94, with investors swapping 27,623 shares and Victoria Mutual Investments gained 32 cents to end at $5.99 trading 1,900 units.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has eight stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
138 Student Living shed 47 cents to close at $4.37 exchanging 107 units, Proven Investments declined by $1.01 to close at $34, after crossing the exchange with 31,112 shares, Salada Foods climbed $1 to $30, after exchanging 6,010 units. Scotia Group shed 70 cents to close at $44.25, with an exchange of 24,970 stock units and Wisynco Group shed 47 cents to close at $16.05 trading 103,159 shares.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dipped 1,075.49 points to 432,445.60, the Main Index dropped 1,031.36 points to 394,583.57 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.02 points to settle at 102.07.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
Sagicor Group gained 50 cents to end at $50.50, in exchanging 12,901 units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund shed 74 cents ending at $8.25, in trading 2,963 shares, Salada Foods shed $1 in closing at $29 trading 410 units. Scotia Group gained 70 cents to close at $44.95, after 17,262 stock units changed hands, Sygnus Credit Investments rose 29 cents to settle at $16.76, trading 37,047 shares. Victoria Mutual Investments slipped 35 cents to $5.65, trading 61,267 shares and Wisynco Group declined 98 cents to $16.52 after exchanging 31,231 shares.
The local market has recovered some 16 percent of the losses suffered up to March 25, but the gains so far are some way off the start of the year. At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index rose 2,252.56 points to close at 433,521.09, the Main Index gained 2,013.69 points to close at 395,614.93 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.16 points to end at 102.09.
Wisynco Group ended with 6.4 percent market shares from 2.53 million units, JMMB Group 6.2 percent with 2.5 million units, Barita Investments 4 percent with 1.59 million units and Wigton Windfarm 3.9 percent market share with 1.54 million units.
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $5 to close at $153 in switching ownership of 12 units, NCB Financial declined by $3 to $142 in exchanging 6,748 stocks, PanJam Investment shed $2.13 in closing at $66.02 and trading 10,010,704 shares. Pulse Investments increased 36 cents to $4.50 in switching ownership of 6,616,355 stock units, Sagicor Group lost $1 in closing at $50 and finished trading 19,340 stocks, Salada Foods rose $2.75 to $30, trading 130,001 stock units. Scotia Group lost 70 cents to end at $44.25 after 17,576 units crossed the exchange, Sygnus Credit Investments climbed $1.07 in closing at $16.47 with investors swapping 75,710 shares, Wisynco Group increased by $1 to $17.50 in trading 2,527,199 stock units.
