Market activity ended on Wednesday, with the market declining after the All Jamaican Composite Index jumped 6,167 points to 462,400 points after a few minutes of the market’s opening, with the volume of shares traded falling 11 percent and the values rising 26 percent compared to Tuesday on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 1,444.91 points to finish at 456,233.10, the JSE Main Index shed 1,246.35 points to end at 423,530.25 and the JSE Financial Index slipped 0.50 points to 104.98.
Trading ended with 48 securities down from 50 on Tuesday, with 19 stocks rising, 20 declining and nine remaining unchanged. The PE Ratio, a measure that determines an appropriate relative value of each stock, averages 16.5 based on ICInsider.com’s 2021-22 earnings forecast.
The market closed with 11,255,918 shares trading for $208,802,786 versus 12,597,611 units at $165,913,276 on Tuesday. Wigton Windfarm led treading with 16 percent of total volume for an exchange of 1.80 million shares followed by Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 13.9 percent for 1.57 million units, Transjamaican Highway ended with 13.6 percent after trading 1.53 million units and Carreras accounted for 9.3 percent, with1.08 million units.
Trading averaged 234,498 units at $4,350,058, versus 251,952 shares at $3,318,266 on Tuesday. Trading month to date averages 237,958 units at $4,233,099, in contrast to 238,535 units at $4,213,605 on Tuesday. May ended with an average of 439,937 units at $4,698,961.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading has ten stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Barita Investments shed 51 cents to $83.99, with 20,665 shares crossing the market. Caribbean Cement declined $2 to $91 after exchanging 33,900 units, Carreras lost 20 cents to close at $10 after a transfer of 1,076,866 shares. Eppley popped $1.98 to $37.98 in trading 2,179 units. Grace Kennedy rallied 50 cents to $91.50 in exchanging 468,812 stocks, Guardian Holdings declined $10 to close at $750 in switching ownership of 21,399 stock units. Jamaica Broilers shed 60 cents to end at $33 with 42,614 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers closed 80 cents lower at $22 after 122,007 stocks crossed the market, JMMB Group gained 26 cents to end at $32.20 in exchanging 431,524 shares. Margaritaville picked up 20 cents in closing at $14.50 with a transfer of 9,500 units. Mayberry Investments dipped 50 cents to finish at $5.50 in an exchange of 32,829 stocks, Mayberry Jamaican Equities closed 24 cents higher at $8.99 in trading 47,927 units, NCB Financial fell $1.01 to $146.99 with 323,338 shares changing hands. Palace Amusement spiked $144 in closing at $1,144 after switching ownership of 364 units. PanJam Investment fell 99 cents to $67.01 trading 22,843 stocks, Proven Investments shed $1 in closing at $36 after a transfer of 701,801 shares, Sagicor Group rose 70 cents to $52.75 with 323,788 shares crossing the market. Sagicor Real Estate Fund popped 64 cents to $8.99 with the swapping of 294 stock units, Scotia Group shed 55 cents to close at $41 in exchanging 78,321 units. Seprod rallied $1.93 to $74.95 in trading 101,870 shares and Supreme Ventures declined 99 cents to $19.91 with an exchange of 75,612 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.