Trading on the Jamaica Stock exchange US dollar market dropped sharply from Thursday’s level with vastly lower volume and value with market activity resulting in four securities changing hands, with one stock rising and three declining.
Investors exchanged 95,096 units valued at just $15,597 in contrast to 1,253,326 shares valued US$240,737, on Thursday.
At the close, the market fell 4.26 points to 188.69. The PE ratio of the market closed with an average of 12.9 times 2020 earnings.
In trading, First Rock Capital lost 1 cent transferring 4.547 units to close at 8 US cents, Proven Investments ended at 23 US cents, after exchanging 59,449 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments added 0.3 of a cent to finish at 13 US cents, after trading 11,100 shares and Trans Jamaican Highway ended the day at 0.94 US cent, with a loss of 0.001 of a cent, with 20,000 shares changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Traded led to more shares changing hands on Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange on Friday, than on any other day this week, with the market ending with just five stocks recording price changes for the day.
Losers│ Clico Investments shed $1 to finish at $24, in an exchange of 5,430 units, NCB Financial closed at $7.50, with a loss of 49 cents with 117,455 shares changing hands and Trinidad and Tobago NGL lost 1 cent trading 7,855 units at $16.87.
At the close of trading, the market was enjoying its third straight day of gains, with the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index climbing 2,698.18 points to 404,587.50, the JSE Market Index added 2,528.96 points to 368,889.50 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.05 points to 99.14.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six stocks closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14, while the Main Market ended at 14.2 times 2020-21 earnings.
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy soared $15.50 to $175.50, after swapping 110 units, NCB Financial Group advanced by $3 to $145, with a transfer of 21,887 stock units. Palace Amusement tumbled to $1,500, after sustaining a loss of $200 in trading 122 shares, PanJam Investment advance by $4.70 to $77.70, with an exchange of 155 units, Pulse Investments gained 39 cents to finish at $2.45, after transferring 3,855,905 shares, following the release of nine months results. Scotia Group closed at $44, with a loss of 90 cents trading 71,618 stock units, Seprod ended $2 higher at $46, with 9,465 units crossing the exchange, Stanley Motta rose 54 cents to $5.14, after swapping 9,473 units. Supreme Ventures fell $1.10 to $14 after transferring 225,244 shares and Wisynco Group ended 65 cents lower at $17, with 1,327,496 shares changing hands.
Rising and declining stocks were evenly spread at ten each, with six ending unchanged. At the close with the index, adding a mere 9.28 points to close at 2,369.78 and only partially reversed the 36.90 points fall on Wednesday and the market’s PE ratio closed at 8.7 times 2020-21 earnings.
At the close of the market, Blue Power finished 10 cents higher at $3.64 with 45,200 stock units traded, Caribbean Cream fell 18 cents to settle at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.82 with an exchange of 14,355 shares, Caribbean Producers shed 10 cents in the swapping of 433,307 units to end at $2.30. Elite Diagnostic closed trading of 9,000 units and gained 11 cents to finish at $3.11, Express Catering gained one cent to end at $3.36, swapping 10,511 shares in the process, Fontana climbed 17 cents and exchanged 63,877 shares to settle at $5.07. General Accident closed 2 cents higher at $4.02 with 779,926 stock units changing hands, Honey Bun declined 10 cents in trading of 84,000 units to finish at $4.90, iCreate fell 4 cents to 40 cents with 29,297 units crossing the exchange. Indies Pharma shed 13 cents in the exchange of 29,379 units to close at $2.25, ISP Finance closed 9 cents higher at $15.99, with 500 stock units traded,
Jetcon Corporation gained one cent to end at 87 cents, after swapping 125,336 shares. Lasco Distributors closed trading of 40,920 units and gained 21 cents to end at $3.21, Lasco Financial rose 10 cents to $2.70 with an exchange of 500 shares, Lasco Manufacturing declined 7 cents to settle at $3.87 in trading 3,000 units. Limners and Bards slipped one cent to $1.80 with 246,685 stock units changing hands, Lumber Depot climbed 9 cents and exchanged 62,061 shares to close at $1.14, MailPac Group ended with a loss of one cent at $1.67 with 340,725 stock units traded. Main Event transferred 18,100 shares to close at $4.25 after falling 64 cents and Paramount Trading ended with a loss of 1 cent at $1.99 with 900 stock units crossing the exchange.
Investors exchanged 1,253,326 shares valued at US$240,737, in contrast to 1,171,339 units for US$270,439 on Wednesday.
The volume of stocks declined but with a higher value than on Wednesday in trading in just nine securities on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange on Thursday. 
Republic Financial Holdings ended at $132.72, with a loss of 88 cents after exchanging 9,914 stock units.
The Market closed with an average of 323,033 units at $2,225,976 for each security traded, in contrast to 230,295 units valued at an average of $2,034,185 on Tuesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 362,134 units at $2,453,398 for each stock changing hands, compared to 375,605 units with an average value of $2,531,754 previously. Trading in April resulted in an average of 1,077,021 units valued at $3,829,201 for each security.
NCB Financial Group advanced $7 to $142, in trading 28,328 units, Palace Amusement dived $1,098 trading just three shares to close at $1,700, PanJam Investment declined by $4.50 to a 52 weeks’ low of $73, with 600,640 shares changing hands. Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed at $7.95, with gains of $1.26 with 800 units crossing the market. Salada Foods climbed $4.50 to $29 in exchanging 1,936 units, Scotia Group gained 65 cents to end at $44.90, with a transfer of 8,399 units. Seprod fell to $44, with a loss of $2.40 trading 15,369 units, Supreme Ventures closed 40 cents lower to $15.10, with 40,810 stock units changing hands, Sygnus Credit Investments gained $1.30 to reach $16.50, after swapping 33,390 stock units and Wisynco Group ended the 65 cents higher at $17.65, with a transfer of 449,719 shares.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading on Wednesday was better than the three to one reading the day before with four stocks now just ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and just one with a lower offer.
Caribbean Assurance Brokers slipped 1 cent to $2.18 with an exchange of 1,500 units. Caribbean Cream ended with a loss of 1 cent at $2 with 37,713 stock units changing hands, Derrimon Trading shed 10 cents in trading 40,000 units to finish at $1.80, Elite Diagnostic dropped 55 cents to $3 with 130,715 units crossing the exchange. Everything Fresh shed 9 cents in the trading 13,500 units to settle at 71 cents, Express Catering exchanged 44,486 shares and gained 1 cent to finish at $3.35, Fontana ended market activity 39 cents lower at $4.90 with 248,422 shares changing hands. Fosrich declined 1 cent to settle at $3.84 with 22,637 stock units traded, General Accident lost 43 cents in the exchange of 1,002,770 units to close at $4, Honey Bun dived $1 to $5 with 158,100 shares changing hands. Jamaican Teas fell 19 cents in the trading of 182,641 units to end at $3.99, Jetcon Corporation shed 19 cents to finish at 86 cents with 249,280 shares exchanged, Knutsford Express climbed $1.77 to settle at $8.98 with 103 shares changing hands. 
Lasco Distributors fell 5 cents in the trading 37,489 units to close at $3, Lasco Financial lost 10 cents to settle at $2.60 trading 11,650 units, Lasco Manufacturing slipped 5 cents to $3.94 with an exchange of 10,010 shares. Limners and Bards finished at $1.81 after falling 9 cents and swapping 24,994 shares, Lumber Depot lost 4 cents in the exchange of 122,067 units to settle at $1.05, Medical Disposables closed trading of 98,399 units and gained 31 cents to end at $6.30. Paramount Trading gained 2 cents to end at $2 with 34,000 units changing hands, SSL Venture climbed 15 cents and traded 3,392 shares to close at 88 cents and Stationery and Office Supplies dipped 25 cents to $6.05 with 29,131 units crossing the exchange.
Market activity resulted in three securities changing hands, with one stock rising and two declining as investors exchanged 1,171,339 shares with a value of US$270,439, in contrast to 785,696 units for US$170,640 on Tuesday.
Unilever Caribbean lost 5 cents trading 1,747 units to finish at $17.
