Rising stocks dominated the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Monday and drove the primary market indices higher after an exchange of 75 percent more shares than on Friday, with a slight dip in the value of stocks changing hands.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index advanced by 4,791.17 points to 408,016.86, the Main Index climbed 4,053.26 points to 372,153.01 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.04 points to settle at 97.24.
Trading ended with 44 securities changing hands compared to 41 on Friday and closed with the prices of 17 stocks rising, 17 declining and 10 remaining unchanged. The market’s average PE Ratio ended at 15.2 based on the IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 15,995,307 shares for $79,703,616 compared to 9,117,461 units at $80,839,987 on Friday. Transjamaican Highway led trading with 58.5 percent of total volume as 9.35 million shares changed hands followed by QWI Investments with 8 percent or 1.29 million units and Wigton Windfarm, 5.9 percent, with 946,319 units shares.
Trading ended with an average of 363,530 units changing hands at $1,811,446 for each security, compared to an average of 222,377 shares at $1,971,707 on Friday. For the month to date, the average trade amounts to 256,184 units at $1,636,720 for each security, in contrast to 198,584 units at $1,542,965. 
Trading month to date compares adversely to September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows 10 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments rose $2.92 to close at $77.90, trading 334,913 shares, Berger Paints advanced by $2.48 to close at $13.48, as investors switched ownership of 13,856 stock units, Eppley fell $1.70 to $21, clearing the market with 5,114 stock units. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund declined by $9 in ending at $41, after exchanging 540 units, First Rock Capital lost 35 cents in closing at $12.90, in trading 26,522 stock units, Jamaica Broilers Group shed 99 cents to end at $25.01, in exchanging 24,776 stock units. Jamaica Producers Group closed at $20, having lost 50 cents after trading 21,701 stock units, 
JMMB Group gained 40 cents to close at $29.50, with an exchange of 145,377 shares, Kingston Wharves gained 85 cents to finish at $50, with 8,689 units crossing the market. Mayberry Investments shed 74 cents to end at $5.40, with 3,052 units changing hands, Mayberry Jamaican Equities rose 50 cents to $8.50, in transferring 57,660 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy jumped $7 to $170, after exchanging 428 units. Pan Jam Investment climbed $1.50 to $69.50, with 15,507 shares crossing the market, Portland JSX closed $1.14 higher at $8.19, in transferring 10,378 stock units, Sagicor Group gained 90 cents to settle at $45, with 20,241 stocks changing hands. Scotia Group dropped $3.17 to finish at $46.31 trading 55,877 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments gained 49 cents in closing at $19.49, with an exchange of 8,778 units and Wisynco Group lost 39 cents to close at $15.60 transferring 150,994 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with eleven securities trading with three stocks advancing, two declining and six remaining unchanged. The volume of stocks passing through the market amounted to 211,449 shares valued $2,768,849 compared to 478,583 shares for $6,975,688 on Friday from 18 securities.
For a fourth consecutive week, there were no changes in the companies on the IC TOP 10 listings. The markets moved moderately higher to close at their highest levels since mid-August for the junior Market. The Main Market closed at its highest level at the close of September since the beginning of July gave up all the gains on Wednesday and Tuesday to close back at mid-September level on Friday.
This week’s focus: Jamaican Teas came in for increased buying during the past week after the company advised the Jamaica Stock Exchange that the board of directors will meet to determine a new record date for the sub-division of the Company’s shares, following the deferral at the Annual General meeting. The stock traded at $4.30 on September 29 and closed at $4.83 on Wednesday, with 161,040 units changing hands, with the offer at $4.50. The volume ballooned to over one million units on Thursday, with the price hitting $5.55 during the day. The company completed the 2020 fiscal year at the end of September.
The market’s targeted average PE ratio is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results, from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level, indicating the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15.1 and the Junior Market 11.2, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 6.1 at just 54 percent to the overall Junior Market average. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.2 or 54 percent of the PE of the overall market.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 283 percent, and 153 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, indicates potentially greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
Friday’s fall, along with a big decline on Thursday, wiped out all of the 9,745.94 points gains recorded by the All Jamaican Composite Index on Wednesday.
The average trade for the month to date ended at 198,584 units at $1,542,965 for each security, in contrast to September’s average of 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced by $28 to $163, after trading only one stock unit, NCB Financial fell $1 in closing at $130 and clearing the market with 91,324 shares, PanJam Investment climbed $2 to close at $68, in trading 24,433 stock units. Sagicor Group dropped $2.30 to $44.10, with investors switching ownership of 9,874 units, Seprod shed 90 cents to finish at $55, in exchanging 15,520 shares. Supreme Ventures declined by $1.25 to settle at $14.75, in transferring 120,086 units, Sygnus Credit Investments fell 50 cents to close at $19, after clearing the market with 23,747 stock units and Wisynco Group gained 47 cents to settle at $15.99, in trading 1,215,482 shares.
The market closed with eighteen securities trading with the prices of four stocks advancing, six stocks declining, while eight closed unchanged. The volume of stocks passing through the market amounted to 478,583 shares valued at $6,975,688 compared to 59,390 shares for $1,206,644 on Thursday from 13 securities.
JMMB Group lost 4 cents, with investors swapping 345,635 shares to settle at $ 1.70, One Caribbean Media shed 10 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $5, after the transfer of 9,785 stock units and Trinidad and Tobago NGL ended 5 cents lower at $15.45, with 10,005 shares changing hands.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dived 4,940.46 points to 411,986.10; the Main Index declined 4,741.22 points to 375,684.76 and the JSE Financial Index shed 1.90 points to settle at 98.55.
Trading ended with an average of 174,792 units changing hands at $1,114,224 for each security compared to an average of 363,264 shares at $4,595,186 on Wednesday. Trading in September averaged 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
Mayberry Investments declined 95 cents to close at $5.30 while exchanging 10 shares. Mayberry Jamaican Equities closed at $8, with a loss of 30 cents after 1,007,542 stocks passed through the market, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy fell $15 to $135, in trading 361 units, PanJam Investment fell $3.50 to $66, with investors switching ownership of 4,329 units. Proven Investments finished $2.45 lower at $36, with 20,251 stock units crossing the market, Pulse Investments shed 47 cents in ending at $4.53, with investors switching ownership of 277,932 shares, Scotia Group lost 40 cents to end at $49.48 after exchanging 9,525 stock units. Stanley Motta dropped 42 cents to $4.70, in transferring 10,411 units, Supreme Ventures rose $2 to $16, in trading 222,950 shares and Wisynco Group lost $1.38 to settle at $15.52, in exchanging 49,570 stock units.
</Trading month to date compares adversely to, August with an average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $5 to settle at $150, with 1,605 stock units passing through the market, PanJam Investment carved out a gain of $3.49 in closing at $69.50, with 24,108 stock units passing through the market, Portland JSX dropped 45 cents to close at $7.05 with investors switching ownership of 106,892 shares. Sagicor Group carved out a gain of $2.10 to settle at $46.40 while exchanging 1,571,769 units, Stanley Motta climbed 47 cents to close at $5.12, with 33,715 stocks clearing the market. Supreme Ventures dropped 40 cents in closing at $14, with 5,437 shares changing hands, Sygnus Credit Investments advanced $1.70 and ended at $19.40 in exchanging 93,341 shares and Wisynco Group advanced 45 cents to close at $16.90 trading 55,901 stock units.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 266.78 points to 407,180.62, the JSE Main Index rose 241.38 points to 371,646.76 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.77 points to settle at 97.38.
Trading ended with an average of 141,706 units changing hands at $2,006,430 for each security compared to an average of 271,037 shares at $5,471,715 on Monday. Trading resulted in an average of 260,128 units at $3,203,598 for each security for the month to date on Monday. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
Kingston Wharves dropped $3.50 to $46, in an exchange of 862 units. Mayberry Investments ended at $5.16, with a loss of 94 cents, with 23,101 stock units clearing the market, Mayberry Jamaican Equities shed 64 cents to end at $7.66, with 10,351 units changing hands, NCB Financial closed at $131, after a loss $1.99 with investors switching ownership of 22,813 stock units. Palace Amusement dropped $319.99 to end at $1,300.01 in exchanging 50 units, Scotia Group climbed $2.76 to $49.90, trading 47,610 shares, Seprod gained 40 cents to settle at $55.90, with 17,499 stock units crossing the exchange. Stanley Motta lost 48 cents to end at $4.65 trading 935 shares, Supreme Ventures advanced $1.40 to $14.40, with an exchange of 528,693 shares and Wisynco Group gained 55 cents in closing at $16.45, after 44,087 shares passed through the market.
Stocks declining│ Clico Investments finished 35 cents lower at $25.15, with an exchange of 10,472 stock units, JMMB Group lost 1 cent trading 30,309 shares to settle at $1.70, One Caribbean Media slipped 10 cents to $5.10, after transferring 30,189 shares. Prestige Holdings lost 5 cents to end at $7.50, in exchanging 500 units, Republic Financial Holdings closed at $142, with a loss of 2 cents and 2,460 stock units changing hands and Trinidad and Tobago NGL dipped 5 cents to $15.90, in transferring 3,309 stock units.
The average trade for the month to date ended at 266,398 units at $3,266,977 for each security, in contrast to 266,157 units at $3,152,375. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918 for each security.
NCB Financial Group gained 89 cents, in ending at $132.99 with investors swapping 172,508 shares. 138 Student Living rose 35 cents to end at $4.85, after clearing the market with 15,605 stock units, PanJam Investment dropped $3.49 to $66.01, in transferring 150,938 shares, Pulse Investments gained 30 cents to settle at $4.90, in trading 2,510,192 shares. Scotia Group fell to $47.14, after losing $1.36 and exchanging 627,325 shares Seprod fell 50 cents to $55.50, with investors switching ownership of 177,004 shares, Supreme Ventures fell $1.50 to settle at $13, as investors swapped 795,566 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments lost 70 cents to close at $17.80, in trading 28,469 stock units and Wisynco Group shed 58 cents to close at $15.90, with 45,481 stock units passing through the market.