The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Wednesday with a modest rise after shares gaining outnumbered those falling by a near two to one ratio after an exchange of 33 percent fewer shares with 96 percent of the value of stocks traded on Tuesday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index gained 884.00 points to close at 399,279.64, the Main Index advanced 900.71 points to 364,390.65 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.27 points to close at 96.22.
Trading ended with 45 securities changing hands compared to 42 on Tuesday, with the prices of 21 stocks rising, 12 declining and 12 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.4 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 7,341,364 shares for $40,755,755 compared to 10,999,409 units at $42,539,683 on Tuesday. QWI Investments led trading with 2.54 million shares for 34.6 percent of total volume, followed Wigton Windfarm with 1.48 million units for 20.2 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 647,235 units for 8.8 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 163,141 units changing hands for the day at $905,683 for each security, in comparison to an average of 261,891 shares at $1,012,850 on Tuesday. 
The average trade for the month to date is 210,813 units at $957,419 for each security. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments advanced $1 to settle at $53.50, with an exchange of 9,486 stock units, Eppley dropped $2 to settle at $22, in transferring 574 units. Eppley Caribbean Property Fund climbed $2.90 to $49.90, in an exchange of 3,256 stock units, First Rock Capital rose 97 cents to close at $12.50 in trading 32,400 shares, Grace Kennedy gained 55 cents, after ending at $57 with 52,708 shares clearing the market. Jamaica Broilers Group shed 90 cents to end at $24.60 with investors switching ownership of 29,852 shares, 
Jamaica Producers Group advanced to $22, with gains of $2 and 32,899 shares changing hands, Key Insurance lost 34 cents to end at $7.21, with 5,536 stock units changing hands. Kingston Properties climbed $1.52 and ended at $7.69, in trading 4,282 stock units, Kingston Wharves rose $2 to settle at $44 with investors swapping 9,554 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed $2.50 to end at $138.50, in trading 58,879 shares. PanJam Investment rose $2.50 to settle at $69, after exchanging 955 units, Seprod gained 50 cents in ending at $54.50, with 7,685 stock units passing through the market and Wisynco Group picked up 50 cents to close at $16.50 and 77,995 shares changing hands.
In the preference segment of the Main Market, Community & Workers Credit Union shed 30 cents to close at $1.70 as just 84 units changed hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Unilever Caribbean lost 3 cents to finish at $16.97, with 498 shares changing hands and West Indian Tobacco fell by $1.92 to $36.98, trading 1,620 units.
Bank of Jamaica placed on sale through their B-FXITT Flash sale mechanism, US$20 million on Tuesday, with the results suggesting exhaustion of the speculative bubble. The sale was the first on record when the demand was less than the amount offered by the central bank since they started this method of intervention three years ago.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped 7,335.15 points to 398,395.64, the Main Index declined by 6,792.78 points to 363,489.94 and the JSE Financial Index shed 1.74 points to close at 95.95.
Trading in August averaged 497,441 units at $3,201,918.
Key Insurance gained 34 cents, to close at $7.55 with an exchange of 5,417 stock units, Kingston Properties fell by $1.03 to $6.17, with 2,407 units changing hands. Kingston Wharves dropped $8 after trading 28,483 stock units to close at $42, NCB Financial Group declined by $4 to $136, after exchanging 24,762 stocks, Palace Amusement fell $200 to end at $1,500, with a transfer of 13 units. PanJam Investment fell $4.50 to $66.50 while trading 314 shares, Proven Investments shed $1.99 to close at $36 with an exchange of 6,896 stock units, Sagicor Group finished at $44, after losing $2.42 and the transferring of 48,477 shares. Scotia Group declined by $3.49 to settle at $47 in trading 26,079 stock units and Seprod gained 50 cents to end at $54, with 1,477 units changing hands.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 4,681.28 points to 405,730.79, the Main Index bounced 4,232.34 points to end at 370,282.72 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.36 points to close at 97.69.
The average trade for the month to date ended at 497,441 units at $3,201,934 for each security, in contrast to 491,213 units at $3,153,576. Trading for the month to date is well ahead of July, which closed with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
Key Insurance lost 39 cents to settle at $7.21, with 8,947 units changing hands, NCB Financial Group carved out a gain of $2 to close at $140 with investors swapping 637,827 shares. PanJam Investment advanced $5.90 to $71, after exchanging 5,950 stock units, Proven Investments rose $1.99 to settle at $37.99, in 2,802 units changing hands. Sagicor Group finished $2.42 higher at $46.42, with an exchange of 275,545 shares, Scotia Group climbed $3.49 to $50.49, in exchanging 29,922 stock units, Seprod shed $1.50 to close at $53.50, having traded 15,713 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments rose 35 cents to close at $15.35 with 128,320 shares passing through the market and Wisynco Group lost 50 cents to close at $16 and 200,997 shares changing hands.
During the past week, companies continued the release of midyear results, with little impact on the market. Jamaica Broilers released decent first-quarter results to the end of July, with a slight improvement in after-tax profit, with operating profit rising 25 percent on lower revenues. Wisynco Group full-year audited financials showed modest gains in profit while Blue Power profits jumped 41 percent. Of the three, only Jamaica Broilers is in the TOP 10. At the close of the week, Medical Disposables dropped out of the Junior Market listing and replaced by Jetcon Corporation. NCB Financial returns to TOP 10 and now sits at the bottom of the list, having replaced Eppley.
Caribbean Producers heads the list, followed by Lasco Financial and Elite Diagnostic, the focus on all three is on the 2021 fiscal year results, projected to show recovery from the 2020 financial year final numbers. The top three Main Market stocks, with expected gains of 205 to 264 percent, are Berger Paints followed by Radio Jamaica and JMMB Group, all three suffered declines during the week.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 291 percent, and 161 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication of potentially greater gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 861.11 points to 401,049.51, the Main Index shed 775.38 points to settle at 366,050.38 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.43 points to close at 96.33.
QWI Investments traded 2.55 million units accounting for 4.3 percent of Main Market volume and Sagicor Select Financial Fund ended trading, with 2.39 million shares and 4 percent of the volume.
Jamaica Stock Exchange climbed $1.75 to settle at $19.28, after exchanging 4,688 stock units, JMMB Group shed 47 cents and closed at $29.53 with a transfer of 118,347 shares, Mayberry Investments ended 68 cents lower at $5.32, after exchanging 1,250 units. NCB Financial Group rose $1.99 to settle at $138, with 168,962 shares changing hands, PanJam Investment dropped $5.90, in closing at $65.10 as investors swapped 2,754 units, Portland JSX rose 62 cents to finish at $8.50, with investors switching ownership of 7,519 stock units. Proven Investments ended at $36, after losing 50 cents, with an exchange of 566 units, Sagicor Group fell $1 to $44, in trading 19,418 shares, Seprod carved out a gain of $1 to end at $55, with an exchange of 46,826 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments lost 60 cents to close at $15, with investors trading 63,968 units and Victoria Mutual Investments closed 30 cents lower to end at $6.60, with 41,506 shares changing hands.
Stocks declining│ CinemaOne shed 20 cents transferring 150 units to settle at a 52 weeks’ low of $4.20 and Trinidad and Tobago NGL finished 50 cents lower at $16.50 in trading 8,970 stock units.
Trading month to date is well ahead of July with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
JMMB Group carved out a loss 50 cents to close at $30, with 44,422 stocks crossing the market, Kingston Properties shed 40 cents in closing at $7.20 with an exchange of 169 stock units. Kingston Wharves rose 95 cents to close at $50 in exchanging 572,067 stocks, NCB Financial Group dropped $3.97 to end at $136.01 after trading 158,851 shares, Palace Amusement dropped by $50 in closing at $1700 crossing the market one stocks. PanJam Investment gained $6 to end at $71 in trading 1,520 stocks, Proven Investments advanced 40 cents to $36.50 with investors swapping 20,001 stock units, Sagicor Group shed 50 cents to close at $45 after exchanging 18,139 units. Scotia Group dropped by $2.50 in ending at $47, with an exchange of 112,320 shares and Victoria Mutual Investments gained 40 cents and closed $6.90, with investors switching ownership of 117,840 units.
The market closed with sixteen securities trading, with the prices of five stocks advancing, four declining and the prices of seven ended unchanged. The market activity resulted in 273,269 shares valued at $4,126,089 changing hands, compared to 38,812 shares for $1,612,168 from 12 securities on Wednesday.
JMMB Group closed at a 52 weeks low of $1.75, with a loss of 5 cents, in exchanging 51,435 shares and West Indian Tobacco finished at $36.65, after losing 5 cents trading 123 units.