
The Lasco companies traded the most shares on Friday.
Trading on the junior market saw more stocks rising than declining, but a fall of $1.30 in the price of Lasco Manufacturing resulted in the junior market index falling by 38.55 points to end at 2,064.85 as the three Lasco listed companies accounted for the bulk of the volume for the day. .
There were 12 active securities trading, with 8 advancing and 3 declining. At the close, 9 stocks closed with bids higher than the last selling prices and 3 ended with lower offers. Volume traded is 2,216,522 shares valued at $11,878,080.
At the end of trading in a market, AMG Packaging traded 16,841 shares at $13, Caribbean Cream traded 68,200 units to gain 15 cents and end at $4.35, Honey Bun rose 20 cents to end at $17.20 with 305 shares trading. Iron Rock Insurance traded at $3.35 at the close while 8,800 shares changed hands, with a gain of 5 cents,
Jamaican Teas traded 25,571 shares and fell 1 cent to end at $3.99, Jetcon Corporation gained 20 cents to end at $2.90 while only 500 units traded. Knutsford Express traded 9,600 shares but fell $2.10 to $16.80, Lasco Distributors rose 35 cents and ended at $7.60 with 998,711 shares trading, Lasco Financial gained 15 cents to close at $3.15 with 569,195 shares changing hands. Lasco Manufacturing fell $1.30 to close at $3.55 with 488,299 shares trading, Medical Disposables rose by 10 cents in trading 30,000 shares to close at $3.20 and tTech ended with 500 units changing hands to end with a gain of 27 cents at $4.45.
the mid-morning session on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. Other trades of import are Lasco Distributors with 684,917 units at $7.20 and Lasco Financial Services 422,346 units at $3.
Trading jumped sharply in the Jamaican foreign exchange market on Thursday with over US$120 million dollar changing hands for an unusually high level of trading. The rate of the local dollar saw further erosion climbing to $123.14 for the selling rate for the US dollar. The Jamaican dollar declined against the Pound and gained against the Canadian dollar.
The Canadian dollar buying rate declined by 17 cents to end at $93.92 with dealers buying C$883,954 and selling C$612,031, at an average rate that fell 33 cents to $97.02. The rate for buying the British Pound fell 3 cents to $176.73 for the purchase of £1,759,249, while £830,527 was sold, as the rate rose $1.16 to $179.73.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest traded rates for the Jamaican dollar against the main currencies on Thursday are, a fall of $6.53 in the lowest selling rate of the US dollar to end at $93.50, a fall of $3.78 in the lowest buying rate of the Canadian dollar to $73 and a rise of $2 in the lowest selling rate to end at $90. A fall of $1 in the highest buying rate for the British Pound to $180.50, a rise of $1.72 in the highest selling rate to $185.76 and a rise of $1 in the lowest selling rate to $168.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 19 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers. The higher bids jumped sharply, but that is most likely associated with month end widow dressing.
Pulse Investments traded 185,515 shares with a fall of 30 cents to close at $2.50, Radio Jamaica traded 94,200 shares and climbed 7 cents to close at $1.15, Sagicor Group fell 15 cents to end with 605,440 shares changing hands at $22.05, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 25,645 shares to close at $10.15 after falling 10 cents, Scotia Group closed with a loss of $2.99 to end at $31 while 20,164 units changed hands, Scotia Investments traded 115,465 shares to close at $25.50 and Supreme Ventures closed at $5.39 with 240,047 shares changing hands for a loss of 34 cents, Proven Investments closed with 24,500 ordinary shares trading and gained 2 US cents to 20 US cents and JMMB Group 7.50% preference shares ended with 1500,00 units trading at $1.04.

Iron Rock Insurance traded at $3.30 while 9,786 shares changed hands with a gain of 20 cents, ISP Finance had 50,000 shares changing hands and rose 29 cents to close at $2.74, Jamaican Teas traded 5,000 shares and gained 30 cents to end at $4, Jetcon Corporation fell 15 cents to end at $2.70 while 880, 327 units traded. Lasco Distributors rose 5 cents and ended at $7.25 with 272,349 shares trading. Lasco Financial lost 10 cents to close at $3 with 1,397,376 shares changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing rose 15 cents to close at $4.85 with 1,213,474 shares trading and tTech ended with 2,162 units changing hands to end with a gain of 3 cents at $4.18.
Trading ended with just 6 active securities changing hands on Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange on Thursday with 3 stocks gaining and 1 declining while 2 remained unchanged as trading ended with 127,056 shares valued at $838,231 changing hands. Notwithstanding the advance decline ratio the market remains under selling pressure with several stocks closing with offers below the last traded price.
Trinidad and Tobago NGL gained 1 cent, to close at $19.53 with 1,500 shares trading and West Indian Tobacco rose 2 cents to close at $126.30 with 139 shares changing hands.
The leading trades in the morning session, include Cable and Wireless with 1,502,355 units, Jetcon Corporation with 836,487 units, Lasco Manufacturing 914,053 shares National Commercial Bank with 540,045 units ahead of today’s release of the March quarter results and dividend announcement.
the Jamaican dollar crossed over the 123 level to the US dollar in trading in the foreign exchange market on Wednesday to a record low of $123.11 as the Jamaican dollar declined against the three majors, the trade against, compared to the closing rates on Tuesday. The market closed with dealers buying the equivalent of US$40,752,667 and selling US$33,016,027, in contrast to US$37,190,702 purchased and US$42,292,086 sold on Tuesday.
A total of US$31,727,298 was sold versus US$35,486,211 on Tuesday, that did not prevent the selling rate from rising 22 cents to $123.11. The Canadian dollar buying rate declined by $2.59 to end at $94.09 with dealers buying C$912,746 and selling C$640,401, at an average rate that fell $2.60 to $97.35. The rate for buying the British Pound climbed 44 cents to $176.76 for the purchase of £1,651,764, while £495,529 was sold, as the rate slipped $1.04 to $178.57.
traded was an unusually large amount of US$4,643,557 being bought, while US$63,620 was sold.
ISP Finance had 50,000 shares changing hands and rose 29 cents to close at $2.74, Jamaican Teas traded 397,510 shares and gained 20 cents to end at $3.70, Jetcon Corporation climbed 35 cents to end at $2.85 while 352,125 units traded. KLE Group traded 1,000,000 shares with a rise of 5 cents to $1.45, Lasco Distributors gained 68 cents and ended at $7.20 with 265,511 trading. Lasco Financial closed at $3.10 with 1,493,865 shares changing hands but rose 10 cents, Lasco Manufacturing fell by 5 cents to close at $4.70 with 597,108 shares trading, Derrimon Trading preference share ended with 21,500 units changing hands to end with a loss of 2 cents at $2.12 and Eppley 10% reference share traded 799,880 units at $6.10.
Trinidad and Tobago NGL lost 1 cent, to close at $19.52 with 5,202 shares trading.