
Junior market index moving higher gradually, but seems poised to surge higher by August as happened in 2017.
Trading on the Junior Market returned to more sedate levels on Friday with 1,704,155 units valued at $7,059,645, compared to 13,901,904 units valued at $65,220,930 on Thursday.
At the close, the market Index advanced by 8.27 points to close at 3,062.21 as the prices of 4 securities rose, 10 declined and 6 traded unchanged resulting from 20 securities changing hands, up from 25 on Thursday.
IC bid-offer Indicator|At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows 5 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.
Trading ended with an average of 85,208 units for an average of $352,982 in contrast to 556,076 units for an average of $2,608,837 on Thursday.
The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 148,472 units valued at $848,065 and previously 210,982 units valued at $961,878. June closed with an average of 139,543 units, valued at $671,002 for each security traded.
At the close of trading in the Junior market, AMG Packaging ended with a loss of 1 cent at $1.99, with 23,429 stock units, Caribbean Cream fell 16 cents to close at $4.84, with 21,756 shares, Consolidated Bakeries closed with 117,515 shares trading and lost 10 cents to end at $1.90, C2W Music ended at $1.30, with 29,999 shares changing hands, Derrimon Trading exchanged 23,136 shares and traded at an all-time intraday high of $20.50 but fell afterwards by 44 cents from Thursday’s close to end Friday at $19.16. Dolphin Cove finished at $15, with 1,400 stock units, Elite Diagnostic settled with a loss of 5 cents at $3 and trading 95,139 units, Express Catering traded 5 cents higher at $7.10, with 18,979 shares,
FosRich Group finished trading with a loss of 30 cents at $2.65, in exchanging 6,242 shares. Honey Bun ended trading at $5, with 200 shares, Jetcon Corporation traded at $4, with 30,280 units changing hands, Knutsford Express ended 41 cents higher at $12.51, with 3,870 shares, Lasco Distributors concluded trading with a loss of 4 cents at $4.15, in exchanging 540,300 stock units. Lasco Financial finished 11 cents higher at $5.10, with 445,789 units, Lasco Manufacturing lost 20 cents to close at $4, with 103,771 shares, Medical Disposables traded 2,000 shares at $5, Paramount Trading closed 3 cents higher at $3, trading 4,200 stock units, Stationery and Office closed at $8, with 15,869 units changing owners and tTech declined 10 cents to $5.90, with 350 shares changing hands.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.

Mayberry Investments settled at $6.50, with 613,468 units and Pulse Investments jumping $1 to $3, with 460,835 shares.
The JSE USD Equities Index declined 2.86 points to 153.15.
Trading ended with an average of 556,076 units for an average of $2,608,837 in contrast to 86,604 units for an average of $373,881 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 210,982 units valued at $961,878 and previously 71,831 units valued at $297,781. June closed with an average of 139,543 units, valued at $671,002 for each security traded.
Jamaican Teas ended trading 1 cent higher at $5, with 9,332,829 stock units changing hands, Jetcon Corporation traded with a loss of 10 cents at $4, as 40,594 units were exchanged, KLE Group closed at $2.90, with 1,864 shares,
The Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange closed Thursday with trading in 17 securities against 11 on Wednesday, with 4 advancing, 4 declining and 9 remaining unchanged.
Sagicor Financial concluded trading with a loss of 1 cent to end at $7.94, with 2,477 stock units changing hands and West Indian Tobacco fell 1 cent to $87, after exchanging 1,115 shares.
Gross profit for the period was $353 million representing 18 percent of revenues and was up from gross profit of $279 million in the 2017 period with a similar percentage of revenues. According to Cotterell there was improved margin in the core business resulting from “a combination of improvement in margins arising from strategies employed within both the distribution & retail segments of the business, the positive impact from the culled distribution portfolio and improved margins from growth of the supermarket portfolio.” Margins for the non-manufacturing arm rose to 17.2 percent from 16.94 percent in 2017.
The official selling rate for the US dollar ended at J$130.47 on Wednesday, rising from $130.06 on Tuesday as sale to Bank of Jamaica under its foreign exchange auction, absorbed US$10 million at an average weighted rate of $131.17.
Tuesday’s volume was led by Ciboney with 1,230,196 units accounting for 35 percent of the day’s volume, followed by JMMB Group 7.25% preference share with 850,000 units or 24 percent of the day’s volume and PanJam Investment with 326,719 units.
Sygnus Credit trading 2,000 shares, with the price slipping 0.25 cent to end at 11.25 US cents. The JSE USD Equities Index rose 1.30 points to 156.01.
Trading ended with an average of 86,604 units for an average of $373,881 in contrast to 53,219 units for an average of $199,382 on Tuesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 71,831 units valued at $297,781 and previously 64,795 units valued at $261,543. June closed with an average of 139,543 units, valued at $671,002 for each security traded.
Express Catering traded 4,427 shares with a loss of 45 cents to $7.05, GWest Corporation ended with a loss of 10 cents at $2.40, exchanging 10,919 units, Jamaican Teas eased down by 1 cent to $4.99, with 1,120 stock units, Jetcon Corporation traded 154,528 units. at $4.10, Lasco Distributors concluded trading 1 cent higher at $4.20, with 430,142 stock units, Lasco Financial finished at $4.99, trading 497,156 units. Lasco Manufacturing settled 20 cents higher at $4.20, with 223,000 shares, Paramount Trading traded 25,143 stock units and finished trading at $2.97, Stationery and Office closed 54 cents higher at $8.50, with 12,615 units trading and tTech concluded trading at $6, with 5,000 shares changing hands.
Trinidad & Tobago NGL lost 35 cents and ended at $29.60, with 11,230 stock units changing hands and West Indian Tobacco ended trading 49 cents lower at $88, after exchanging 100 shares.