The Jamaican dollar closed out November almost where it opened against the US dollar, but made modest gains on the Pound and the Canadian dollar. On the last day of October, dealers sold the US dollar for an average of J$119.83 but by the end of the month it was selling for only 10 cents more at J$119.93.
The local currency did even better against the British Pound and the Canadian dollar by gaining $2.43 on the Canadian to end J$88.15 and $2.77 versus the Pound to end at J$179.81. In the foreign exchange market on the first day of December, purchasing by dealers was much less than the funds they sold, with dealers buying nearly US$10 million less than they sold. The equivalent of US$30,303,656 was purchased and the equivalent of US$40,066,275 was sold, compared with US$44,621,458 they purchased and US$41,429,650 sold on Monday.
In US dollar trading , dealers bought US$26,764,918 compared to US$40,585,146 on Monday. The buying rate for the US dollar gained 1 cent to $119.26 and US$37,677,186 was sold versus US$39,341,893 on Monday, the selling rate fell 2 cents to $119.91. The Canadian dollar buying rate rose 7 cents to end at $86.88 with dealers buying C$1,576,598 and selling C$829,322, at an average rate that climbed 14 cents to $88.29 The rate for buying the British Pound declined 65 cents to $176.36 for the purchase of £1,502,604, while £1,029,169 was sold, with the rate falling 58 cents to $179.23. At the end of trading, it took J$126.67 to purchase the Euro, a fall of 43 cents from Monday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$124.05 for a decline of 61 cents from Monday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$168,137 being bought, while US$240,286 was sold.
Highs & Lows| On Tuesday, the highest buying rate for the US dollar fell 15 cents to $120.10 while the lowest buying and the highest
Juniors Index slips on Tuesday
Knutsford Express ended at a new all-time high of $10
The signs are pointing to prices heading mostly higher, with a tight supply of stocks being dominant in this market. At the close there was 1 security ending with no bid to buy and 7 securities had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 5 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and none closed with a lower offer.
In trading, AMG Packaging ended with 23,528 units changing hands at $6, C2W Music traded 2,500 units at 38 cents, Caribbean Cream ended with 1,000 shares changing hands at $4.40, Caribbean Flavours gained 3 cents while trading 15,000 units to end at a 52 weeks’ high at $6.78, Caribbean Producers lost 30 cents, in trading 53,102 units to end at $5.60. Consolidated Bakeries ended with a loss of 7 cents while trading 10,000 shares to settle at $1.23, Dolphin Cove had 584 units trading with a loss of 20 cents, to settle at $15.80,
General Accident ended with 10,000 shares changing hands and closed at $1.99. Jamaican Teas had 3,671 shares trading to close of 5 cents with a gat $5.05, KLE Group ended with 73,026 units with a decline of 2 cents at 73 cents, Knutsford Express traded 13,000 units and gained $1 to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $10. Lasco Distributors closed with 125,457 shares changing hands, to end with a gain of 4 cents at $4.09, Lasco Financial ended at $2.92, with 38,200 shares changing hands after losing 3 cents and Lasco Manufacturing fell 38 cents to $3.30 with 450,146 shares trading.
3 stocks trade at new highs – Tuesday
National Flour trades at a 52 weeks’ high with a gain of 25 cents.
At the close, the Composite Index ending with a rise of 3.03 points at 1,160.34 the All T&T Index advanced by 2.51 points to 1,957.63 and the Cross Listed Index gained 0.49 points to 47.72.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 5 stocks with the bid higher than the last selling price and 5 stocks with offers that were lower.
Gains| Guardian Holdings gained 1 cent in trading 1,300 units at $12.92, National Commercial Bank gained 5 cents in trading 22,331 shares at $1.90. National Flour ended with 50,349 shares changing hands at $2.75, after rising 25 cents to a 52 weeks’ high, Trinidad Cement ended at a new 52 weeks’ high of $4.75 after gaining 42 cents and Unilever Caribbean ended with 810 shares trading 2 cents up, for a new 52 weeks’ high of $68.17.
Declines| Angostura Holdings with 5,763 shares changing hands, closed with a loss of 1 cent at $13.99, Clico Investment Fund posted 59,044 shares valued at $1,339,490 and closed with a loss of 1 cent at $22.68.
Massy Holdings with 1,110 shares lost 1 cent in closing at $61.93 for a 52 weeks’ low and Trinidad and Tobago NGL slipped 20 cents in trading, to close at $21.50 with 126,068 shares valued at $2,714,920 units changing hands.Firm Trades| First Citizens Bank traded 250 shares to close at $35, National Enterprises with 300 shares changing hands at $16.39, Prestige Holdings with 3,825 units changing hands, ended at $10.10 and Sagicor Financial Corporation closed with 980 shares changing hands at $6.06.
NCB wakes up JSE
With the news that National Commercial Bank (NCB) will be buying 30 percent of Guardian Holdings’ shares, the Jamaica Stock Exchange came to life with the 3 main market indices all climbing, as NCB traded at $37.50 with 628,375 units to gain $1.75. NCB’s bid is at $37 to buy 10,000 units and the offer at $45, to sell only 2,250 shares. Trading on the junior market has been low keyed, with very small volumes so far.
Interesting trades, with 75 minutes having elapsed, are Cable & Wireless with 913,965 units and last traded at $1.54 for a 6 cents fall from Monday’s last traded price, Caribbean Cement trading at a new 52 weeks’ high of $19.50, Sagicor Group lost 24 cents in trading 486,055 units at $16.30.
At 10.45 am, the all Jamaica Composite Index is up 907.24 points to 156,515.85, the JSE Market Index gained 811.81 points to 140,985.78, the JSE combined index rose 802.67 points to be at 147,778.60 and the junior market index rose 4.06 points to 1,642.52.
In trading, 25 securities have changed hands with a volume of 2,684,406 units as 8 stocks gained and 7 declined.
J$ makes gains on Monday
On Monday, the Jamaican dollar mostly rose against the three major currencies it normally trades against, in the foreign exchange market. Purchasing by dealers was slightly more than the funds they sold. At the close of trading, dealers bought the equivalent of US$44,621,458 and sold the equivalent of US$41,429,650, compared with US$40,251,301 they purchased and US$39,350,916 sold on Friday.
In US dollar trading , dealers bought US$40,585,146 compared to US$36,593,430 on Friday. The buying rate for the US dollar fell 20 cents to $119.25 and US$39,341,893 was sold versus US$37,420,311 on Friday, the selling rate fell 4 cents to $119.93.
The Canadian dollar buying rate fell 55 cents to end at $86.81 with dealers buying C$1,993,998 and selling C$752,076, at an average rate that dropped 54 cents to $88.15. The rate for buying the British Pound declined $1.90 to $177.01 for the purchase of £1,658,881, while £513,635 was sold, with the rate rising 61 cents to $179.81. At the end of trading, it took J$127.10 to purchase the Euro, a fall of 26 cents from Friday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$124.66 for a rise of 25 cents from Friday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$122,185 being bought, while US$764,928 was sold. Highs & Lows| On Monday, the highest buying rate for the US dollar rose 15 cents to $120.25 
while the lowest buying and the highest selling rates were unchanged at $98.66 and $126.42 respectively and the lowest selling rate jumped $1.94 to $100.60. The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar fell 40 cents to end at $89.60, the lowest buying rate rose 58 cents to $71.38, the highest selling rate dipped 15 cents to $92.02 and the lowest selling rate eased by 30 cents to $84.50. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, declined by 60 cents to end at $180.40. The lowest buying rate fell gained 17 cents to $144.59, the highest selling rate jumped $3.24 to $187.50 and the lowest selling rate fell $1 to $173.
Junior index up Monday but…
Caribbean Flavours’ produce with ingredients – the stock closed at a new high on Monday.
The signs are pointing to prices heading mostly higher, with a tight supply of stocks being dominant in this market. At the close, there was only 1 security ending with no bid to buy and 11 securities had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 5 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and one closed with a lower offer.
In trading, C2W Music ended with 1,600 units changing hands at 38 cents, Caribbean Flavours gained 28 cents while trading 16,512 units to end at a 52 weeks’ high at $6.75, Caribbean Producers gained 10 cents, in trading 44,922 units to end at $5.80 for a 52 weeks’ closing high, Consolidated Bakeries ended trading with 30,192 shares at $1.30.
General Accident ended with 504,997 shares changing hands and closed at $1.99 after declining by 1 cent, KLE Group ended with 24,467 units with a gain of 5 cents at 75 cents, Knutsford Express traded 500 units at $9. Lasco Distributors closed with 622,630 shares changing hands, to end at $4.05, Lasco Financial ended at $2.95, with 76,650 shares changing hands after losing 5 cents. Lasco Manufacturing fell 3 cents to $3.68 with 163,003 shares trading and Derrimon Trading preference share ended with 400,000 units changing hands with a loss of 10 cents at $2.10.
Big jump in TCL bid price – Monday
Trinidad Cement closed with a bid at $4.61 to buy 69,626 units on Monday
At the close, the Composite Index ending with a fall of 1.35 points at 1,157.31 the
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 5 stocks with the bid higher than the last selling price and 5 stocks with offers that were lower.
Gains| Clico Investment Fund posted 42,154 shares valued at $956,066 and closed with a gain of 1 cents at $22.69, National Flour ended with 37,040 shares changing hands at $2.50, after rising 22 cents to a 52 weeks’ high and Sagicor Financial Corporation closed with 25,100 shares changing hands at $6.06 with a gain of 1 cent.
Declines| Agostini’s traded 1,010 shares as the price slid 20 cents to end at $18, a 52 weeks’ low,
National Commercial Bank lost 10 cents in trading 35,000 shares at $1.85 and Trinidad and Tobago NGL slipped 30 cents in trading, to close at $21.70 with 38,821 units valued at $ $844,535 changing hands.Firm Trades|, Berger Paints had 50 shares changing hands and ended at $3.67, First Citizens Bank traded 3,617 shares to close at $35, Grace Kennedy closed with 25,000 shares changing hands at $3.75, JMMB Group had just 400 shares changing hands at 50 cents and One Caribbean Media ended with 5,623 shares changing hands to close at $22.
J$ slips against all on Friday
On Friday, the Jamaican dollar slipped against the three major currencies it usually trades against, in the foreign exchange market. Purchasing by dealers was just slightly more than the funds they sold. At the close of trading, dealers bought the equivalent of US$40,251,301 and sold the equivalent of US$39,350,916, compared with US$16,888,330 they purchased and US$24,496,549 sold on Thursday.
US dollar trading , dealers bought US$36,593,430 compared to US$14,549,371 on Thursday. The buying rate for the US dollar rose 51 cents to $119.45 
and US$37,420,311 was sold versus US$20,657,823 on Thursday, the selling rate rose 4 cents to $119.97. The Canadian dollar buying rate fell 3 cents to end at $87.36 with dealers buying C$1,562,984 and selling C$1,203,103, at an average rate that dropped 87 cents to $88.69. The rate for buying the British Pound jumped $1.75 to $178.91 for the purchase of £1,598,967, while £622,047 was sold, with the rate falling $1.36 to $179.20. At the end of trading, it took J$127.36 to purchase the Euro, a rise of 27 cents from Thursday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$124.41 for a fall of 15 cents from Thursday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$120,061 being bought, while US$111,998 was sold.
Highs & Lows| On Friday, the highest and lowest buying rates for the 
US dollar and the highest and the lowest selling rates were all unchanged at $120.10, $98.66, $126.42 and $98.66 respectively. The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar fell $1 to end at $90, the lowest buying rate dipped 83 cents to $70.80, the highest selling rate rose 49 cents to $92.17 and the lowest selling rate was unchanged at $84.50. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, remained at $181. The lowest buying rate fell by 83 cents to $144.42, the highest selling rate dropped $2.99 to $184.26 and the lowest selling rate was unchanged at $174.
Bulls retreat on JSE – Friday
Carib Cement closed at a new 52 weeks’ high on Friday.
The JSE Market Index lost 480.67 points to 140,626.96, the all Jamaica Composite Index fell 537.18 points to end at 156,113.73 and the JSE combined index declined 149.43 points to end at 147,291.47.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had a reading of 8 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 7 with lower offers.
In trading, Cable and Wireless closed with 1,389,853 units changing hands at $1.52 after the price gained 9 cents, Caribbean Cement climbed 20 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $19.20, with 75,115 shares changing hands, Carreras rose 90 cents to close at $56 with 13,048 units trading. Ciboney did not trade but had a bid to buy 125,000 units at 19 cents and just below, are bids between 16 cents and 18 cents to buy 2.38 million units. Desnoes & Geddes ended with 44,130 shares trading at $30, Gleaner traded 23,325 units at $1.95, Jamaica Broilers lost 60 cents as it traded 266,093 shares to close at $8. Jamaica Producers traded 18,661 shares to end at $31, JMMB Group lost 14 cents while trading 5,400 shares to close at $10.11. Kingston Wharves ended with 76,220 shares changing hands at $11.30 after losing 17 cents, 
National Commercial Bank closed with a loss of $1.19 as 105,766 shares changed hands to end at $36. Pan Jamaican Investments declined by $1 to end at $89 with 12,618 units changing hands. Pulse Investments traded 10,000 shares and ended at $2.50 after falling 50 cents, Sagicor Group fell 5 cents in trading 39,505 units to end at $16.65. Scotia Group had 19,600 shares changing hands and closed at $27, Supreme Ventures had 250,643 units changing hands but the price rose 10 cents to $4.80. Proven Investments ended at 22.9 US cents with 108,528 changing hands, Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share traded 75,000 units with the price ending at $1.80.
Juniors make strong recovery on Friday
Knutsford closed at a new high of $9 on Friday
Only 2 securities ended with no bids to buy and 7 had no stocks being offered for sale. A total of 4 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and none closed with lower offers.
In trading, Access Financial Services traded 249 units with the price rising 7 cents to $13.57, AMG Packaging closed at $6 with 1,458 units changing hands, Blue Power rose by 1 cent and closed with 10,265 units trading, C2W Music ended with 61,000 units changing hands at 38 cents. Caribbean Cream had 87,000 units changing hands but lost 10 cents, to end at $4.40, Caribbean Flavours in trading 7,426 units and ended at $6.57, Caribbean Producers gained 35 cents in trading 462,506 units to end at $5.80 for a 52 weeks’ closing high, Consolidated Bakeries fell 10 cents trading 19,736 shares at $1.30. Dolphin Cove ended with 128,900 units changing hands with a $1 gain to $16, General Accident ended with 699,239 shares changing hands and closed at $2 after declining by 19 cents, Honey Bun with 1,000 shares changing hands, closed with a gain of 15 cents at $5.65 for a new 52 weeks’ high. Jamaican Teas gained 5 cents with 3,000 shares trading at a 52 weeks’ closing high of $5,
KLE Group ended with 30,000 units with a loss of 10 cents at 70 cents, Knutsford Express jumped $1 in trading 30,000 units at $9 for a 52 weeks’ high. Lasco Distributors closed with 1,135,443 shares changing hands, to end with a rise of 5 cents at $4.05, Lasco Financial ended at $3, with 1,124,054 shares changing hands. Lasco Manufacturing rose 16 cents to $3.71 with 651,985 shares trading, Sweet River Abattoir traded just 612 units at $3.95 and Derrimon Trading preference share ended with 3,500 trading at $2.20.