Trading dropped on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Friday, but the market closed higher with the volume of stocks traded declining 74 percent, valued 68 percent less than Thursday following trading in 40 securities compared with 36 on Thursday and ended winning stocks outpacing those declining by more than two to one, with 19 rising and only nine declining and 12 closing unchanged.
Investors traded 4,960,272 shares for $11,287,117 down from 19,362,577 units at $34,892,741 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 124,007 shares at $282,178, compared with 537,849 units at $969,243 on Thursday with the month to date, averaging 165,266 units at $344,495 compared with 169,444 stock units at $350,806 on the previous day just a fraction of November with an average of 262,280 units at $587,545.
tTech led trading with 1.0 million shares for 20.2 percent of total volume followed by EduFocal with 758,218 units for 15.3 percent of the day’s trade and Stationery and Office Supplies with 539,060 units for 10.9 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index popped 34.37 points to end the day at 3,695.69.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.2, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial dipped 50 cents to $25 after a transfer of 69 stocks, Caribbean Cream rose 31 cents to $3.31 after 478 units were traded , Caribbean Flavours increased 50 cents and ended at $1.75 after an exchange of 1,300 shares. Derrimon Trading fell 14 cents to close at $1.86 with investors trading 28,536 stock units, Everything Fresh skidded 25 cents to end at $1.43 in an exchange of 72,000 shares, Fontana popped 9 cents to $10.39 with investors dealing in 93,349 units. Fosrich gained 10 cents to close at $2.30 while 238,818 stocks were exchanged, Future Energy lost 9 cents in closing at $3.45, with 215,746 stock units crossing the market, Honey Bun rose 10 cents and ended at $6.40 with an exchange of 213 shares. Indies Pharma advanced 15 cents to end at $3 with 8 stocks clearing the market,
Iron Rock Insurance rallied 44 cents to $2.50 as investors exchanged 20,043 units, Knutsford Express popped 26 cents to close at $11.36 in switching ownership of 337 stock units. Lasco Financial rallied 26 cents to $1.88 with investors dealing in 1,000 shares, Main Event declined 40 cents in closing at $13 with an exchange of 81,035 units, MFS Capital Partners rose 21 cents to end at $2.37, with 6,460 stocks changing hands. Regency Petroleum advanced 8 cents in closing at $2.14 after 98,934 stock units passed through the market, Tropical Battery shed 11 cents to end at $1.80 with a transfer of 248,942 shares and tTech increased 12 cents and ended at $2 with investors swapping 1,000,000 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Investors traded 19,362,577 shares for $34,892,741 compared with 4,766,135 units at $10,223,648 on Wednesday.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
iCreate rallied 8 cents in closing at 87 cents with 369,471 stock units changing hands, Jamaican Teas dropped 16 cents to end at $2.30 with investors transferring 1,050,000 shares. Lasco Distributors increased 41 cents to close at $3.93 after an exchange of 2,487 units, Lasco Financial shed 18 cents to close at $1.62 with investors dealing in 5,250 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing climbed 43 cents to close at $4.63 after an exchange of 2,586 stock units. Regency Petroleum lost 32 cents and ended at $2.06, with 969,355 shares crossing the market, Tropical Battery rose 11 cents to end at $1.91 with investors exchanging 24,496 units and tTech shed 33 cents in closing at $1.88 after 19 stocks were traded.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Investors traded 4,766,135 shares for $10,223,648 compared with 3,334,500 units at $6,456,830 on Tuesday.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
Jamaican Teas climbed 16 cents in closing at $2.46, with the trading of 14,560 shares, Lasco Distributors declined 46 cents to $3.52 with stakeholders exchanging 4,272 units, Lasco Manufacturing shed 43 cents to end at $4.20 in switching ownership of 40,621 stocks. Mailpac Group dropped 8 cents to $2.02 as investors exchanged 18,030 stock units, Main Event popped 30 cents to $13.40 after 11,050 shares were traded, Paramount Trading advanced 15 cents in closing at $1.67 with traders dealing in 23 units. Regency Petroleum rose 18 cents and ended at $2.38 in an exchange of 216,183 stocks and Tropical Battery shed 15 cents to close at $1.80 with investors dealing in 85,794 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Investors traded 3,334,500 shares for $6,456,830 compared with 7,705,493 units at $11,922,249 on Monday.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
EduFocal increased 16 cents and ended at $1.87 with traders dealing in 761,518 units, Elite Diagnostic dipped 18 cents to $1.66 after an exchange of 1,476 stocks, Fontana climbed 29 cents and ended at $10.49 with investors transferring 1,984 stock units. GWest Corporation skidded 17 cents in closing at 83 cents after 15,094 shares passed through the market, Honey Bun fell 10 cents to end at $6.30 with stakeholders exchanging 7,308 stock units, Indies Pharma advanced 17 cents to close at $2.99 in trading 37,465 units. Lasco Distributors popped 37 cents to $3.98 with 17,682 stock units crossing the market, Lasco Financial lost 10 cents in closing at $1.80 as investors exchanged 850 shares, Mailpac Group declined 9 cents to end at $2.10 with investors trading 4,515 stocks. Paramount Trading shed 22 cents and ended at $1.52 with shareholders swapping 1,000 units and Tropical Battery climbed 17 cents to close at $1.95 in an exchange of 497,599 stock units.
as funds pulled into the market surged 152 percent more than Thursday as the market closed with prices of 12 stocks rising, 11 declining and 13 unchanged.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.9, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Jamaican Teas climbed 25 cents to $2.55 with a transfer of 119,469 stocks, as buyers eat away at the limited supply of stocks on offer. Jetcon Corporation shed 8 cents and ended at 75 cents, with a mere 1,335 units crossing the market, Knutsford Express declined $1.68 to close at $11.12 in switching ownership of 2,300 stock units, Lasco Distributors fell 39 cents to end at $3.61 with shareholders swapping 112,863 shares. Lasco Manufacturing dipped 20 cents in closing at $4.30 while exchanging 44,307 stocks, Limners and Bards dropped 9 cents to $1.61 with investors dealing in 5,109 units and Main Event skidded 98 cents to close at $13, after 54,527 stock units passed through the market.
compared to Wednesday and resulting in the trading of 39 securities down from 41 on Wednesday, ending with prices of 12 rising, 15 declining and 12 closing unchanged.
Jamaican Teas with 299,806 units for 12.3 percent of the day’s trade and One Great Studio with 289,403 units for 11.8 percent market share.
Derrimon Trading shed 16 cents to close at $1.87 with a transfer of 30,656 shares, Dolphin Cove increased 87 cents to $17.40 after 797 stock units passed through the market. EduFocal popped 17 cents to end at $1.93 in an exchange of 85,150 stocks, ISP Finance picked up $6 in closing at $30 with traders dealing in just 30 units, Jamaican Teas declined 10 cents to close at $2.30, with 299,806 shares crossing the market. JFP Ltd lost 11 cents and ended at $1.41 with an exchange of 25,970 units, Knutsford Express dipped 13 cents to $12.80 while trading 41 stocks, Medical Disposables dipped 38 cents to end at $2.92 in switching ownership of 4,906 stock units and Spur Tree Spices lost 8 cents in closing at $2.11 while exchanging 112,204 shares.
followed by Access Financial, up $1.15 and Main Event with a rise of 98 cents as the market closed with the volume of stocks traded declining 16 percent at a 47 percent lower value than on Tuesday after trading resulted in activity in 41 securities compared with 44 on Tuesday and ended with 21 rising, eight declining and 12 closing unchanged.
Regency Petroleum with 1.29 million units for 21.7 percent of the day’s trade and Spur Tree Spices with 988,959 units for 16.6 percent market share.
Elite Diagnostic popped 21 cents to close at $1.85 with stakeholders exchanging 99,695 shares, Fontana advanced 18 cents to $10.20, with 19,328 stocks crossing the market. Future Energy rallied 8 cents and ended at $3.58 as investors exchanged 620,887 units, Indies Pharma lost 13 cents to end at $2.80 with shareholders swapping 2,403 stock units, Jamaican Teas popped 10 cents in closing at $2.40 while exchanging 251,734 shares and ended with stocks on offer declining. Knutsford Express advanced $1.75 to close at $12.93 in switching ownership of 567 units, Lasco Distributors rose 24 cents to $4.04, with 3,118 stocks crossing the market, Lasco Financial rallied 14 cents to close at $1.84 in an exchange of 750 stock units. Lasco Manufacturing increased by 10 cents in closing at $4.50 with investors transferring 4,471 shares, 
Main Event climbed 98 cents to end at $13.98 after exchanging a mere 379 stocks, Medical Disposables gained 38 cents and ended at $3.30 with a transfer of 3,018 units and MFS Capital Partners fell 10 cents to $2.05 after 132,587 stock units were traded.
Investors traded 7,063,052 shares for $22,550,480 compared with 6,466,809 units at $12,152,568 on Monday.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
Fosrich declined 31 cents and ended at $2.16, with 141,209 shares crossing the market. Future Energy lost 10 cents to close at $3.50 with traders dealing in 636,917 stocks, Indies Pharma rallied 37 cents to $2.93 with 11,500 units crossing the exchange, Iron Rock Insurance dropped 59 cents and ended at $2.06 with investors transferring 439 stock units. ISP Finance shed $7.50 in closing at $24, with 326 shares changing hands, JFP Ltd increased 12 cents to close at $1.53 with a transfer of 3,549 stock units, Lasco Distributors declined 30 cents to $3.80 with stakeholders exchanging 6,016 units. Limners and Bards popped 9 cents to $1.70 and closed after 11 stocks were traded, Mailpac Group fell 22 cents to close at $2.02 trading 88,613 units, 
Main Event skidded 50 cents and ended at $13 in switching ownership of 330,689 shares and Stationery and Office Supplies dipped 9 cents to end at $1.61 with shareholders swapping 39,301 stock units.
On Friday, investors traded 6,466,809 shares for $12,152,568 compared with 4,811,921 units at $11,579,633.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Fontana popped 10 cents to close at $10.40 with investors dealing in 49,436 units, Fosrich advanced 15 cents to $2.47 in switching ownership of 321,656 stock units, Honey Bun gained 21 cents to close at $6.26 after an exchange of 19,091 stock units. Indies Pharma dropped 49 cents to $2.56 in trading 166,418 shares, KLE Group skidded 14 cents in closing at $1.50 after a transfer of 54,974 units, Knutsford Express fell $1.82 and ended at $11.12 with investors trading 1,514 stocks. Lasco Financial dipped 10 cents to $1.70 and closed with an exchange of 41,000 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing rose 20 cents to $4.40 after investors traded 21,689 shares, MFS Capital Partners lost 36 cents to end at $2.12, with 87,501 stock units crossing the market.
Regency Petroleum skidded 11 cents to close at $2.14 in an exchange of 59,896 units and Spur Tree Spices dipped 17 cents and ended at $2.13, with 1,692,244 stocks clearing the market.
Some positives are visible in the market, with a sharp decline in the volume of some stocks being sold. Scotia Group is one such stock, as it approaches the release of full year results and an announcement on dividends, but buying interest is currently low keyed. The stock trades at an extremely low PE of 5.7 times projected 2023 earnings. AMG Packaging trades at 6.5 times 2024 earnings with a very limited supply of stocks on offer.
Indications of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
Of import is that the averages of both markets are now converging around a PE of 20 for close to a third of the market, as the year is coming to a close and with more information available on the full year’s earnings.
