Grace Kennedy hit a new 52 weeks’ high of $102 but with only 502 shares trading and gained $2 in the process, but now has a bid to buy 7,000 units at $103. With the exception of trading in 1 million units of 
Caribbean Flavours at $8 and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share with 312,000 units changing hands at $2.11, volumes were light on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, in the early morning session on Friday.
Trading resulted in activity in 28 securities, accounting for a volume of 1,571,599 units as 9 stocks gained and 9 declined. The average number of shares traded is just 56,129 units compared to an average of a mere 18,121 units on Thursday.
After 75 minutes of trading in the early morning session, on Friday, the all Jamaica Composite Index rose 1,650.04 points to 172,786.13, the JSE Market Index rose 1,475.40 points to 155,543.42, the JSE combined index gained 1,621.07 points, to 166,060.64 and the junior market index rose 24.61 points to 2,123.04.
Grace hits new high on JSE – Friday
2 Lasco stocks gained on Junior market
Peter Chin – CEO Lasco Distributors
Trading in the Junior Market closed with moderate activity on Monday with trading ending with 193,314 units valued at $267,070. The JSE Junior Market Index rose 2.72 points to close at 680.96, only 6 securities traded, with the price 2 advancing, while no stock declined.
At the close of the market, there were 3 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 stocks with offers that were lower. The junior market continues to exhibit weakness with 6 securities closing with no bids to buy. There were 4 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
Lasco Distributors concluded trading with 103,624 shares changing hands, with gains of 2 cents to $1.50. The stock is now back at its 52 weeks high reached in April this year but is still way off from the high of $1.80 reached in July 2013. Lasco Financial ended with 50,000 shares trading, 3 cents higher, to 93 cents, Caribbean Cream ended with 6,500 shares changing hands, to close at 71 cents, Caribbean Flavours saw 17,161 shares trading, to close at $2.35, General Accident exchanged 8,000 shares in trading at $1.50, the stock closed with a bid at $1.56 and Lasco Manufacturing finished trading with 8,029 shares at $1.
Junior stocks still struggling
Trading in the Junior Market closed with very little activity on the final day of the week. Trading ended with 39,536 units valued at $53,270. The JSE Junior Market Index fell 6.07 points to close at 656.62, only 4 securities traded, with the price none advancing and 3 falling.
At the close of the market, there were 2 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 stocks with offers that were lower. The junior market continues to exhibit weakness with 8 securities closing with no bids to buy. There were 5 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
Caribbean Flavours had 11,936 shares changing hands to close at $2.35, Caribbean Producers concluded trading with 1,600 shares at $2, and Consolidated Bakeries exchanged 12,000 shares at 82 cents. Lasco Financial finished trading with 14,000 units to fall 8 cents to 87 cents.
7 securities traded in junior market
Caribbean Producers traded 107,00 shares at $2.
At the close of the market, there were 3 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 1 with the offer that was lower. The junior market continues to exhibit weakness with 10 securities closing with no bids to buy. There were 5 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
There was dealing in 11,949 General Accident shares, as the price closed with a gain of 2 cents, to end at $1.55, Knutsford Express concluded trading with 2,500 units, with a decline of 1 cent to $5.49, AMG Packaging ended trading with 9,478 shares changing hands at $2.15, Caribbean Flavours closed with 23,872 shares trading at $2.35, Caribbean Producers finished trading with 107,000 shares at $2, Lasco Manufacturing exchanged 31,106 units, to close at 95 cents and Medical Disposables traded 2,000 shares at $1.90.
Lasco Manufacturing sole stock to rise
Section of new plant at Lasco Manufacturing at White Marl, St. Catherine
At the close of the market, there were 2 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and only 1 stock with the offer lower. The junior market continues to exhibit weakness with 10 securities closing with no bids to buy. There were 5 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale. The weakness is in keeping with technical indicators, suggesting that the junior market has a while to go, before prices start to recover across the broader market. This is especially so with profits of two of the Lasco companies falling below the results for 2013.
Lasco Manufacturing was the only junior market stock to gain at the end of trading as trading closed with 20,800 shares trading to gain 4 cents at 95 cents and Caribbean Flavours 50,323 units traded to close unchanged, at $2.35.
Lasco Financial with 98,860 shares, ended at 98 cents, Dolphin Cove with 200 units but lost 50 cents to end at $8, General Accident added 6,326 shares but lost 2 cents to close at $1.53 and Medical Disposables put through 20,000 units but lost 4 cents in closing at $1.88.
Slight October recovery for Junior market
The Junior Market closed trading with 540,594 units, valued at $832,210 on Friday. The JSE Junior Market Index fell 0.33 points to close at 656.46, a few points higher, than the 653.79 points, September ended at. Only 5 securities traded, there were no advancing stocks while 2 declined.
At the close of the market, there were 4 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and only 1 stock with a lower offer. The junior market continues to exhibit weakness with 10 securities closing with no bids to buy. There were 6 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
The stocks that traded firm in the junior market are, Access Financial with 9,700 units to close at $10.01, Caribbean Flavours 67,195 units, closed at $2.35 and Lasco Financial with 6,540 units, ended at 98 cents.
The stocks with price losses are, Blue Power traded only 100 shares but lost 24 cents to $7.76, for a new 52 weeks’ low and Lasco Distributors with 457,059 units, closed 10 cents lower at $1.15.
Only 4 junior stocks trade, 2 up none down
The Junior Market saw trading in only 9,650 units with only 4 securities being active. JSE Junior Market Index increased 14.27 points to close at 669.02 as only stocks traded with 2 advancing and none declining.
Gains| Stocks recording gains at the end of trading in the junior market are, Caribbean Flavours with an 11 cents rise to $2.80, while trading only 1,000 shares and Lasco Manufacturing with 9,700 units, closing up 14 cents to $1.
Firm Trades| Stocks in the junior market that traded to close at the same price as the day before are, Lasco Distributors trading a mere 100 shares at $1.15 and Lasco Financial with only 750 units being active to end at $1.
At the close, there were 9 stocks with no bids to buy and 9 stocks with no stock on offer to sell, 2 stocks had bids higher than their last selling prices and 6 stocks had offers that were lower.
Advancing stocks beat declining ones
The level of trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Monday was very low with 18 securities changing hands, resulting in 854,483 stock units trading, valued at $7,165,353.98. At the close of the market, the prices of 6 stocks rose and 4 declined.
Main Market| The JSE Market Index rose 380.28 points to 72,045.69 and the JSE All Jamaican Composite index gained 425.23 points to close at 79,268.37.
Gains| The volume and last traded prices of stocks with gains, at the end of trading in the main market, are Carreras with 42,500 units and closed with a gain of 60 cents at $34.90, Jamaica Broilers with 114,665 shares, closed 1 cent higher at $4.61, Scotia Group with 70,691 shares gained $1.24 to end at $20 and Seprod with 13,700 shares rose 25 cents to $10.75.
Firm| The stocks to close without a change in price in the main market, along with volume and last traded prices are, Cable & Wireless with 144,678 shares to close at 36 cents, Grace Kennedy with 16,595 units at $60, Sagicor Group with 72,697 shares, closed at $9 and Sagicor Real Estate Fund had only 1,113 units trading at $6.85.
Declines| The volume and last traded prices of stocks with losses at the at the end of trading in the main market, are Caribbean Cement with 68,825 shares while losing 35 cents to close at $2.55 cents, Jamaica Money Market Brokers with 118,430 shares lost 4 cents to end at $6.96 and National Commercial Bank 32,943 shares closed with a 5 cents fall, at $18.
Preference| Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.75% preference share traded 17,858 units at $3.
Junior Market| The JSE Junior Market Index declined by 1.51 points to close at 645.86 as 6 stocks traded with 2 advancing and 1 declining.
Gains| Stocks recording gains at the end of trading in the junior market, are Caribbean Flavours with 7,000 units changing hands and gained 4 cents to end at $2.69 and Caribbean Producers 96,978 shares closed with a 1 cent increase at $2.36.
Firm Trades| Stocks in the junior market that traded to close at the same price as the day before are Derrimon Trading with 5,000 units going through the market at $2.15, Lasco Distributors with 3,360 shares closed at $1.12 and Lasco Manufacturing with 3,600 shares at 95 cents.
Declines| Caribbean Cream traded 23,850 shares and lost 8 cents to end at 75 cents was the only stock declining in the junior market at the end of trading,
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 6 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 7 stocks with offers that were lower.
Seprod added, others now BUY RATED
Seprod is added to the BUY RATED list for the first time, as profit seems to be settling down with reduced losses in the sugar production operations. The PE for the stock is currently at 4.4, with an eye on 2015 when results should get even better.
Radio Jamaica is now elevated to BUY RATED list, from market watch, based on a big improvement in the first quarter results, to June and IC Insider’s forecast for earnings of 35 cents per share for the fiscal year. The stock is trading at $1.22, giving it a very attractive PE of 3.
Cargo Handlers third quarter results is up on 2013, putting earnings in 2015 in the $3.40 per share level and close to $3 per share for 2014 fiscal year, to September, putting the PE at 5. Berger Paints Jamaica is moved to the BUY RTAED list, with gains in its first quarter results, to June and IC Insider forecasting of 43 cents per share earnings, for the year to March 2015. The prices of Consolidated Bakery, Caribbean Flavours and Paramount Trading, have all pulled back sharply from earlier levels making them more attractive buys.
Supreme Ventures and Jamaica Stock Exchange are added to the Market Watch list. The latter is based on a virtual wipe out of losses in the June quarter and an eye on the stock market activity that should be picking up going forward and thus enhancing the earnings and the value of heightened trades.
Cable & Wireless is still on the list with good top line growth, coming mainly from strong mobile growth. The company is heading for a break even position or small profit for the current fiscal year. Supply of the stock is low and a big payoff should take place in 2015, if the present trend in revenue continues.
Caribbean Flavours dominates trade
In Tuesday’s trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, the prices of 10 stocks rose and 9 declined as 29 securities changed hands, resulting in 48,146,012 shares trading, valued at $138,990,317. Junior market, Caribbean Flavours with 44,078,122 units trading, valued at $121,212,820, was the dominant trade although there were only 4 different sets of trades in the stock with two of 22 million shares each.
Main 
Market| The JSE Market Index fell by 420.68 points to 72,048.37 and the JSE All Jamaican Composite index dropped 470.39 points, to close to 79,271.36.
Gains| Stocks with gains, volume and last traded prices at the close of the main market, are Cable & Wireless with 3,108,389 shares, as the price gained 4 to close at 34 cents, Carreras with 259,900 shares changing hands, closed 50 cents higher at $34.50, Grace Kennedy 69,691 shares traded with an increase of $2.50 to $59, Pan Jamaican Investment with 100 units gained 6 cents and ended at $48.08 and Scotia Investments had 26,885 shares traded, with a gain of 60 cents t0 $20.60.
Firm| The stocks with volume and last traded prices in the main market to close without a change in price, are Caribbean Cement with 100 shares closing at $2.50, Jamaica Broilers with 9,655 shares to close at $4.57, Jamaica Money Market Brokers with 20,629 ordinary shares at $7, Jamaica Producers 2,593 shares at $17.50, Mayberry Investments 1,020 units at $1.55 and Proven Investments 5,366 US dollar ordinary share, at 18 US cents.
Declines| The stocks with losses, volume and last traded prices, at the end of trading in the main market, are Berger Paints with 3,500 in losing a cent to end at $1.65, National Commercial Bank with 25,622 shares, lost 14 cents to $18.26, Sagicor Group, lost a cent in trading 4,473 shares at $9.25, Sagicor Real Estate Fund saw 115,150 shares changing hands, with a 15 cents fall to $6.50, Scotia Group shed 50 cents while trading 15,522 units at $19 and Supreme Ventures with 96,198 shares lost 20 cents to end at $1.75, for a new 52 weeks’ low.
Preference| Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.75% preference share traded 23,413 units with the price unchanged at $3.
Junior Market| The JSE Junior Market Index gained 15.28 points to close at 624.72 as 10 stocks traded, with 5 advancing and 3 declining.
Gains| Stocks recording gains at the end of trading in the junior market, are Access Financial with 4,722 shares, the price gained $1.03 to $10, Caribbean Flavours traded, 44,078,122 units and closed at $2.75, while gaining 30 cents in the process. Lasco Distributors with 48,000 shares, gained 4 cents to $1.05, Lasco Financial traded 54,700 units at 3 cents higher at 93 cents and Lasco Manufacturing with 38,000 units, was up 6 cents to 86 cents.
Firm Trades| Stocks in the junior market that traded to close at the same price as the day before, are Cargo Handlers with 2,312 shares at $14 and General Accident with 3,050 shares at $1.35.
Declines| Stocks declining in the junior market at the end of trading, are Blue Power with 5,000 units as the price lost 5 cent to $9.05, Caribbean Producers with 1,500 shares, with a 7 cents drop, to $2.38 and Dolphin Cove with 4,000 shares, as it shed 85 cents to $7.55.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 12 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 6 stocks with offers that were lower.
