Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday, with a marginal decline in the volume of stocks traded, but with a 20 percent higher value than Tuesday. Trading ended in 46 securities changing hands, up from 43 on Tuesday and ended with prices of 15 rising, 16 declining and 15 closing unchanged, resulting in the Junior Market Index slipping 23.84 points to end at 3,405.92.
During the trading session, 4 stocks traded at intraday 52 weeks’ lows, with Dolphin Cove dropping to $10.07, Main Event declining to a low of $7.94, MFS Partners down to $0.32 and Spur Tree Spices down at $1.09.
The market closed with trading of 4,199,125 shares for $7,967,838 compared with 4,279,348 units at $6,619,935 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 91,285 shares at $173,214 compared with 99,520 stocks at $153,952 on Tuesday, with the month to date, averaging 172,449 units at $483,292 compared to 178,745 stock units at $507,345 on the previous day and March with an average of 307,021 shares at $759,432.
RA Williams led trading with 950,886 shares for 22.6 percent of total volume, followed by Fosrich with 446,943 units for 10.6 percent of the day’s trade and Future Energy with 337,172 stock units for 8 percent of the volume traded.
At the close of a moderate day of trading, The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 14.2, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
At the close of the market, CAC 2000 skidded 21 cents and ended at $2.29 with 32 shares changing hands, Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 22 cents to $2.51 in an exchange of 1,696 units, Caribbean Cream advanced 11 cents to end at $2.59 with investors swapping a mere 100 shares. Caribbean Flavours shed 5 cents in closing at $1.17 in switching ownership of 616 stock units, Consolidated Bakeries popped 15 cents to finish at $1.80 after an exchange of 5,425 stocks, Dolphin Cove lost 64 cents to close at $13.55 with a transfer of 77,839 shares. Elite Diagnostic increased 25 cents to $1.49 with investors dealing in 795 stock units, 
Fontana climbed 21 cents in closing at $9.99 in an exchange of 79,083 units, GWest Corporation declined 13 cents to end at 87 cents with investors trading 408 stocks. Honey Bun sank 14 cents to close at $8 after a transfer of 2,288 shares, Image Plus rose 6 cents and ended at $1.05, with 110,990 stocks crossing the market, ISP Finance slipped $1 to finish at $10 in trading 5,031 units. Jetcon Corporation gained 25 cents to end at $1.18 with 101,300 stock units crossing the market, JFP Ltd rallied 5 cents to end at 64 cents with an exchange of 151 shares, Lumber Depot popped 7 cents in closing at $2.89 after 1,000 stock units passed through the market. Main Event slipped 7 cents to close at $10.90 after trading of 16,527 stocks, Medical Disposables rallied 26 cents and ended at $1.60, with 1,375 units crossing the exchange and Regency Petroleum rose 15 cents to finish at $3.30 with traders dealing in 3,428 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with an average of 99,520 shares at $153,952, down from 184,019 stocks at $356,097 on Thursday, with the month to date, ending with an average of 178,745 units at $507,345 compared with 184,939 stock units at $534,974 on the previous day and March with an average of 307,021 stock units at $759,432.
At the close of market activity, CAC 2000 climbed 21 cents to close at $2.50 after a transfer of just 92 shares, Cargo Handlers fell 10 cents to $11.10 with traders dealing in 699 stock units, Consolidated Bakeries sank 15 cents and ended at $1.65 with 126 shares clearing the market. Derrimon Trading popped 11 cents to finish at $1.90 with investors trading 917,851 units, Dolla Financial rallied 10 cents to end at $2.55 with 98,313 stocks crossing the exchange, Dolphin Cove increased 44 cents in closing at $14.19 with a transfer of 9,061 shares. Elite Diagnostic dipped 21 cents to $1.24 with 8,714 stocks crossing the market, Fontana rose 10 cents and ended at $9.78 in switching ownership of 49,071 units, Future Energy sank 6 cents to finish at $3.13 as investors exchanged 35,240 stock units. GWest Corporation gained 14 cents to close at $1 with 149 shares crossing the market, Honey Bun advanced 34 cents in closing at $8.14 after an exchange of 2,301 stocks, Image Plus declined 11 cents to end at 99 cents following trading of 126,094 units. Iron Rock Insurance rose 68 cents in closing at $3.68 after an exchange of 44 stock units, 
ISP Finance gained $1.39 to close at $11 after 20 shares were traded, Jetcon Corporation lost 22 cents to close at 93 cents after 11,421 stocks passed through the market. KLE Group skidded 16 cents to end at 92 cents with investors swapping 1,191 units, MFS Capital Partners shed 6 cents to finish at 34 cents in an exchange of 104,328 stock units, One Great Studio popped 9 cents and ended at 43 cents with investors dealing in 56,917 shares. ONE on ONE Educational increased 5 cents to 90 cents in an exchange of 812,293 units, RA Williams dropped 15 cents to close at 51 cents with investors trading 119,371 stocks, Regency Petroleum slipped 5 cents to end at $3.15 with an exchange of 19,765 stock units and Spur Tree Spices sank 7 cents in closing at $1.15 with 138,743 shares changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
At the end of the last week the Junior Marlet lost 57.58 points for a 1.7 percent decline during the past week, the Junior Marlet TOP10 stocks outperformed the market prices of 6 stocks rising and just two declining, in contrast, the JSE All Jamaica index fell 1.5 percent with prices of 6 stock declining and just one rising.
Caribbean Assurance rose 8 percent to $2.69, Limners and Bards rallied 5 percent to $1.15 and Kintyre Holdings popped 4 percent higher to close at 28 cents. Elite Diagnostic fell 6 percent to $1.45.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10, 17 stocks or 35 percent of the market have PEs ranging from 15 to 53, with an average of 22 and a PE of 20 for half of the market with the highest PEs.
The market closed with trading of 7,176,741 shares for $13,887,774, up from 6,649,966 stock units at $11,415,609 on Wednesday.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.8, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
Jamaican Teas dipped 6 cents to close at $2.29 in switching ownership of 301,647 stock units, Jetcon Corporation rallied 22 cents to end at $1.15 trading just 103 shares. Knutsford Express sank 40 cents to $12.50 as investors exchanged 28 stock units, Mailpac Group rose 9 cents to finish at $2.39 after a transfer of 7,169 stocks, Medical Disposables skidded 31 cents and ended at $1.34 with traders dealing in 10,315 units. One Great Studio fell 6 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ low of 34 cents in an exchange of 1,765,573 stocks, Spur Tree Spices shed 9 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.22 with investors dealing in 400,685 shares and Tropical Battery climbed 10 cents to end at $2.10 with 107,559 stock units clearing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with trading of 6,649,966 shares for $11,415,609, up from 3,857,400 stock units at $9,117,312 on Tuesday.
Caribbean Cream increased 30 cents in closing at $2.50 with investors trading 2,209 stock units, Consolidated Bakeries rose 15 cents to end at $1.80 with 1,000 shares changing hands. Dolphin Cove dipped 12 cents to close at $14.58 in an exchange of 31,014 stocks, Elite Diagnostic lost 10 cents and ended at $1.45 after trading of 8,559 units, Express Catering popped 5 cents to finish at $3 with a transfer of 35,364 stocks. Fontana shed 5 cents to close at $9.70 after an exchange of 28,530 units, GWest Corporation sank 8 cents to end at 86 cents with investors dealing in 490 shares, Honey Bun advanced 6 cents in closing at $8 after an exchange of 6,674 stock units. Image Plus rose 11 cents and ended at $1.12 with 230,308 shares clearing the market, Iron Rock Insurance rallied 30 cents to close at $3.70 as investors exchanged 12 stock units, ISP Finance declined $1.40 to finish at a 52 weeks’ low of $9.60 with 1,809 stocks crossing the market, Jamaican Teas fell 5 cents and ended at $2.35 with traders dealing in 4,500 units, 
Knutsford Express gained 90 cents to end at $12.90 with 808 shares crossing the market, Lumber Depot dropped 24 cents to end at $2.80 with an exchange of 1,205,500 units. MFS Capital Partners popped 5 cents in closing at 40 cents with 200 stocks changing hands, One Great Studio slipped 8 cents to finish at a 52 weeks’ low of 40 cents with 248,100 stock units crossing the exchange, RA Williams increased 7 cents to close at 67 cents in switching ownership of 7,500 shares. Regency Petroleum skidded 5 cents to $3.20 with investors trading 12,581 units, Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 8 cents in closing at $1.54 after 3,507 stocks passed through the market and Tropical Battery lost 12 cents to close at $2 in trading 162,200 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Market activity led to Image Plus and ISP Finance trading at 52 weeks’ lows and One Great Studio trading at an intraday 52 weeks’ low of 39 cents.
At the close of the market, Access Financial increased 21 cents and ended at $16.96, with 134 shares crossing the market, AMG Packaging skidded 32 cents to $2.77 after trading 50 stocks, Caribbean Assurance Brokers popped 24 cents in closing at $2.74 with just 1,513 stocks crossing the market. Caribbean Cream lost 9 cents in finishing trading at $2.20 after an exchange of 23,896 shares, Derrimon Trading rose 7 cents to close at $1.77 with investors exchanging 30 stock units, Dolphin Cove rose 73 cents to end at $14.70 with traders exchanging 2,257 shares. Express Catering gained 7 cents in closing at $2.95 with a transfer of 21,842 stocks, following posting of solid nine months results that beat 2023 by 58 percent, Fontana climbed 35 cents to $9.75 after trading 18,037 stock units, Honey Bun shed 11 cents to end at $7.94 after an exchange of 8,279 stock units. Image Plus declined 11 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.01 with investors trading 11,800 shares, Indies Pharma sank 8 cents and ended at $3.35 after traders exchange 158,436 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance slipped 30 cents to finish at $3.40 with 15 stocks passing through the market. 
ISP Finance sank $3.50 to a 52 weeks’ closing low of $11 with an exchange of 10,163 units, Jamaican Teas dipped 5 cents to finish at $2.40 with 49,760 stocks clearing the market, Jetcon Corporation fell 17 cents and ended at 93 cents after a transfer of 5,854 shares. Knutsford Express dropped $2 to close at $12 with traders dealing in 140,001 units, Lumber Depot advanced 6 cents in closing at $3.04 with shareholders exchanging 1,040,506 stock units, Mailpac Group sank 10 cents to end at $2.30 with investors dealing in 100,653 shares. Main Event popped $1.53 to $10.97 with 631 stocks crossing the exchange, Medical Disposables climbed 36 cents to finish at $1.69 with investors swapping 12 units, RA Williams declined 7 cents and ended at 60 cents with 102,000 stock units switching owners. 
Regency Petroleum shed 14 cents in closing at $3.25 after investors exchanged 4,159 shares and Tropical Battery rose 13 cents to end at $2.12 with investors trading 89,588 stock units.
The market closed with trading of 4,098,615 shares at $8,619,179, noticeably above the 3,774,007 units at $6,476,930 on Friday.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 14.3, based on the last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
Indies Pharma dropped 6 cents to close at $3.43 with an exchange of 26,275 stocks, ISP Finance fell 47 cents in closing at $14.50 after trading in 10 shares. Knutsford Express popped $1.97 to end at $14 in an exchange of 108 units, Lumber Depot slipped 7 cents to close at $2.98 with investors trading 907,941 stocks, Main Event sank $1.54 to finish at $9.44 with shareholders switching ownership of 3,900 shares. Medical Disposables skidded 11 cents to $1.33 with traders dealing in 18,799 stock units and Tropical Battery gained 8 cents to close at $1.99 after an exchange of 295,403 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The Jamaica stock market struggled last week, even as interest rates on BOJ certificate of deposits have fallen since last year and seem poised to decline further, with Bank of Jamaica CD rates now under 6 percent currently. The total take from the money market dropped to $83 billion from $160 billion a year ago, and more than $100 billion a few eeks ago, The NIR is at a record high of US$5.79 billion and the price of oil on the world market has delined to just over US$60 per barrel and set to keep pressure on inflation. Profit results, of course, released by several companies are not inspiring enough to evoke increased buying interest across the market. 
During the past week, in the Junior Marlet TOP10, Kintyre Holdings climbed 8 percent to close at 27 cents and Caribbean Flavours gained 5 percent to close at $1.25. Dolphin Cove lost 15 percent to end at $13.99, Caribbean Assurance fell 13 percent to $2.50, as investors await the long delaid 2024 full year results. AMG Packaging declined by 10 percent to $2.50, Dolla Financial lost 9 percent to close at $2.40, Limners and Bards dipped by 7 percent to $1.10 and Express Catering and Elite Diagnostic fell 4 percent to $2.76 and and $1.54 43 spectively.
Based on 2024 earnings estimates, the Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 281 percent by May 2025, providing better values than the Junior Market, that is projected to achieve a 212 percent increase for the same period.
The market closed with trading of 3,774,007 shares for $6,476,930 compared with 3,462,954 units at $7,488,462 on Thursday.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 14, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
JFP Ltd dropped 5 cents to end at 61 cents with 21,995 shares clearing the market, Knutsford Express sank $1.34 to finish at $12.03 after trading of 5,482 stocks, Lumber Depot gained 6 cents and ended at $3.05 in switching ownership of 500 units. Mailpac Group rallied 9 cents to $2.40 after an exchange of 33,182 stock units, Medical Disposables skidded 26 cents to finish at $1.44 with a transfer of 401 shares, MFS Capital Partners lost 7 cents and ended at 36 cents with investors swapping 10,200 units. One Great Studio increased 6 cents to end at 48 cents with 200 stocks crossing the exchange and Tropical Battery slipped 14 cents in closing at $1.91 with 212,937 stock units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading averaged 82,451 shares at $178,297, versus 191,176 stocks at $357,955 on Wednesday, with trading month to date averaging 223,998 units at $719,761 slightly below 243,948 stocks at $796,075 on the previous day and March with an average of 307,021 shares at $759,432.
At the close of the market, Access Financial climbed 21 cents to $16.96 with 62,452 shares crossing the exchange, AMG Packaging skidded 24 cents to $2.76, with investors trading 1,659 stocks, Cargo Handlers popped 6 cents in closing at $11.17 with 2,001 stocks crossing the market. Caribbean Assurance rose 29 cents to end at $2.79 as investors traded 208 shares, Caribbean Flavours gained 7 cents and ended at $1.28 with 300 stock units being traded, Fontana sank 6 cents to finish at $9.50 with investors trading 103,996 shares. GWest Corporation rose 9 cents and ended at 94 cents after an exchange of 19,595 units, Honey Bun advanced 14 cents to $8.14 with a transfer of 71,480 stocks, Image Plus slipped 6 cents to finish at $1.12 after an exchange of 633,385 stock units, with the price hitting a 52 weeks’ intraday low of 84 cents. Indies Pharma rallied 14 cents to close at $3.49with 51,581 shares being traded, 
KLE Group rose 24 cents in closing at $1.08 in an exchange of 101 stock units, Knutsford Express fell 8 cents to end at $13.37 with 810 stocks passing through the market. Mailpac Group declined 7 cents to $2.31 with an exchange of 121,486 units, Main Event rallied 62 cents to $10.98 with dealers clearing the market of 200 stocks, Omni Industries increased 9 cents and ended at 93 cents after a transfer of 34,316 shares. RA Williams climbed 5 cents to finish at 65 cents in trading 5,963 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies shed 7 cents to close at $1.50 with 55,866 units changing hands and Tropical Battery popped 24 cents to end at $2.05 with investors swapping 340,948 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.