Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market put in another robust performance on Wednesday with the All Jamaica Composite index jumping more than 5,000 points in clawing back another chunk of the huge losses in March as advancing stocks just inched out declining ones.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 5,606.53 points to 432,124.95, the JSE Market Index advanced 4,975.85 points to 393,629.79 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.02 points to 106.63.
The market closed with 47 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 16 stocks advancing, 15 declining and 16 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 40 securities accounting for 21,743,844 units valued at $108,256,444, in contrast to 93,346,989 units valued at $195,317,440 from 42 securities on Tuesday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 10.3 million shares for 47.6 percent of total volume, Wigton Windfarm followed with 3 million units for 14 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 2.6 million units for 12 percent market share. Wisynco Group, the only other stock trading more than one million units, in exchanging 1.2 million shares.
The Market closed with an average of 543,596 units valued at $2,706,411 for each security traded, in contrast to 2,222,547 units valued at an average of $4,650,415 on Tuesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 745,075 units valued at $3,238,279 for each security changing hands, compared to 936,106 units valued at $3,341,554 for each security traded. Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eleven stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five stocks closing with lower offers. 
The PE ratio of the overall market ended at 14.2, while the Main Market ended at 14.5 times 2020/21 earnings.
In Main Market trading, Berger Paints gained 65 cents trading 240 units and closed at $12.15, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dropped $3.92 to close at $33.33, with 5,430 stock units changing hands, PanJam Investment closed $1 higher at $76, with a transfer of 241,878 shares. Proven Investments shed 90 cents to finish at $38.50, in swapping 33,173 units, Sagicor Group picked up 75 cents to reach $50.50, with an exchange of 58,207 stock units, Scotia Group closed 50 cents lower to $47.50 trading 20,203 shares. Seprod shed 50 cents and closed at $48, after transferring 32,554 units, Victoria Mutual Investments ended at $8, with gains of 30 cents after trading 448,771 shares and Wisynco Group closed $1.50 higher at $17.50, in exchanging 1,180,233 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the day’s last transaction unless otherwise stated.
The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 936,106 units valued at $3,341,554 for each security changing hands, compared to 606,651 units valued at $3,006,358 for each security traded. Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
Mayberry lost 30 cents to close at $5.70, with 193,000 shares crossing the exchange, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy dropped $5 to close at $140 after trading 957 stock units. NCB Financial Group climbed $3 to $158, with 69,263 shares changing hands, 138 Student Living fell by $1.10 to $5.90 trading 10,400 units, PanJam Investment shed 97 cents to close at $75, with an exchange of 93,034 shares. Sagicor Group lost 75 cents to end at $49.75, after swapping 120,363 stock units, Salada Foods gained 48 cents to finish at $32.70, with 4,604 units changing hands, Supreme Ventures climbed $1.33 to $15.99, with an exchange of 112,333 shares. Victoria Mutual Investments ended the day at $7.70, after gaining 35 cents and transferring 293,021 shares and Wisynco Group added 61 cents to finish at $16, in trading 560,505 shares.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 10.4 million shares for 42 percent of total volume. Wigton Windfarm followed, with 8.5 million units for 34.6 percent of the day’s trade and Trans Jamaican Highway trading in the US dollar market accounted for 3.8 million units for the equivalent of 15.6 percent of the Main Market’s volume. Other stocks trading more than one million units were Sagicor Select Financial Fund, with 2.3 million shares and Wisynco Group with 1.3 million units.
First Rock Capital closed 40 cents lower at $9.60, with 50,007 shares crossing the exchange, Jamaica Broilers declined $3.52 to $29, with 48,411 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers gained $1.04 to close at $20.15 transferring 15,332 units. Mayberry Jamaican Equities closed $1.20 higher to reach $9.10, in trading 59,464 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced by $5 to $145, with an exchange of 344 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed $2.09 to $155 in swapping 37,820 shares. Sagicor Group added $1.75 to end at $50.50, with 89,434 shares changing hands, Salada Foods dropped $3.78 to finish at $32.22, after transferring 471 units, Seprod closed $1 lower to $48.50, with an exchange of 11,674 units. Stanley Motta shed 30 cents to end at $5.50 trading 22,100 units, Sterling Investments picked up 35 cents to close at $2.85, with a transfer of 145,739 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments lost $1.96 ended at $17.03, after exchanging 103,764 shares and Wisynco Group rose $1.49 to $15.39, in swapping 1,312,997 shares.
Republic Financial Holdings ended at $141.25, with a loss of 23 cents in exchanging 2,451 stock units. Scotiabank fell 1 cent with 5,660 units share changing hands to close at $54.99 and West Indian Tobacco declined by $2.85 to a 52 weeks’ low of $30.90, with 1,976 stock units crossing the market.
Stocks leaving the TOP are Lasco Manufacturing with a gain of 33 percent after the stock rose from $2.75 the previous week to close at $3.65. General Accident moved from $4.50 to $5.71 to record a 27 percent rise and Sygnus US dollar-based stock gained 25 percent to close at 15 US cents and left the main market TOP 10. Eppley rose 31 percent for the week in closing at $16 and Elite Diagnostic is up a stunning 50 percent but remains in the TOP 10. Access Financial closed the prior week at $18.35 and is now up 33 percent to $24.50.> Some of the gains in the market arose from oversold conditions as well as funds returning to investors last week from the refund of the Trans Jamaica Highway IPO.
While local stocks make a strong recovery this past week, thanks no doubt to some of the IPO refund coming back into the market. Investors must not lose sight that significant uncertainties abound about the local and global economy and how each company may be affected. It is not possible to determine the exact fallout and benefits from the crisis and the impact on company earnings. Actual earnings could vary materially from IC Insider.com’s forecast.
The expectations are for the company to return to normality for the 2021 fiscal year that ends in June 2021 that will give buyers of the stock around current prices a big payday.
With the tourism industry virtually closed, companies heavily dependent on the industry will have little or no sales for a while from March. The Group consists of Caribbean Producers, Dolphin Cove, Everything Fresh and Express Catering. Entertainment company Main Event and restaurant operator KLE Group will be hurt from patrons staying home as well as fewer tourists visiting Montego Bay and patronizing the restaurant in that town. Once this period of disruption has passed, KLE should benefit from economies of scale with the full ownership of the additional restaurant.
The PE ratio for Junior Market Top 10 stocks averages 5.5 with the Main Market at 8.5.
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced $5 to $140 after exchanging 1,512 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed to $152.91, with gains of $2.66 with 265,789 shares changing hands. PanJam Investments fell by $2 to $76 in swapping 225,872 shares, Portland JSX shed 70 cents to finish at $7.30, with an exchange of 38,667 units, Proven Investments closed at $39.70, after rising $2.20 and trading 11,126 units. Sagicor Group picked up 81 cents to end at $48.75, in transferring 73,620 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed 45 cents lower at $7.25 with 81,200 stock units crossing the exchange, Salada Foods jumped $6 to $36, after exchanging 59,400 units. Seprod closed $1.50 higher to $49.50, with a transfer of 65,614 shares and Supreme Ventures gained 40 cents to end at $14.40, with 248,813 shares changing hands.
The JSE Market Index climbed 2,911.92 points to 380,510.48 and the JSE Financial Index adding just 0.30 points to 103.93.
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
Jamaica Producers fell by $2.31 to $18.70 after trading 35,872 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 50 cents to close at $22.50, with an exchange of 40,317 shares. JMMB Group closed 54 cents lower to $38, in swapping 171,356 shares, NCB Financial Group declined to $150.25, with a loss of $4.74 and trading 36,785 stock units. Proven Investments added 90 cents to finish at $37.50, with 11,664 units crossing the exchange, Scotia Group climbed $1.49 to $47.99 in transferring 18,664 units, Seprod closed 50 cents higher at $48, in exchanging 25,496 shares. Stanley Motta gained 80 cents in swapping 200 units and finished at $5.80, Supreme Ventures picked up 43 cents to end at $14, with 17,488 units changing hands, Sygnus Credit Investments closed at $18.90, with gains of $1.87 trading 12,280 stock units and Wisynco Group rose 60 cents to $13.90, with a transfer of 1,360,292 shares.
The recent sharp decline of the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange in March and on Wednesday, slowed sharply on Thursday, with reduced trading activity as the market closed with eleven securities trading of which the prices of two rose and five declined, while four remained unchanged.
Republic Financial Holdings ended at $141.48, with a loss of 1 cent in swapping 650 stock units. Trinidad & Tobago NGL shed 25 cents to close at $18.75, after exchanging 27,043 units and Unilever Caribbean fell by 10 cents to a 52 weeks’ low of $18.90, with 589 stock units crossing the market.
Stocks with the largest declines were, Massy Holdings, with a fall of $5, NCB Financial down $1.24, One Caribbean Media losing 45 cents, Scotiabank sliding $1.95 to $55 in swapping 81,671 shares and West Indian Tobacco declined by $3.81.
One Caribbean Media ended at 52 weeks’ low of $6.50, with a loss of 45 cents after exchanging 630 units. Scotiabank slid $1.95 to 52 weeks’ low of $55 in swapping 81,671 shares, Trinidad& Tobago NGL closed 26 cents lower to $19 exchanging 5,000 shares and West Indian Tobacco declined by $3.81 to a 52 weeks’ low of $30, with 3,000 stock units crossing the market.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined 1,819.45 points to 414,283.45, the JSE Market Index dropped 1,643.55 points to 377,598.56, but the JSE Financial Index rose 0.33 points to 103.63.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eight stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two stocks closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.2, while the Main Market ended at 14.5 times 2020/21 earnings.
PanJam Investment ended at $78, with a loss of $1 trading 63,834 units. Portland JSX gained 70 cents exchanging 2,090 units and closed at $8, Proven Investments ended at $36.60, after climbing $1.60 and transferring 14,113 stock units, Sagicor Group closed $4.40 lower to $48, in swapping 101,381 shares. Salada Foods ended the day at $30, after gaining $1 trading 200 units, Scotia Group dropped $1.49 to finish at $46.50, with 29,841 units changing hands, Seprod added 50 cents to transferring 254,512 shares and closed at $47.50. Stanley Motta shed 75 cents with an exchange of 6,000 units to end at $5, Supreme Ventures gained 57 cents and closed at $13.57, in swapping 561,955 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments ended at $17.03, with a loss of 97 cents trading 99,934 units and Wisynco Group closed $1.39 lower to $13.30 exchanging 1,657,479 shares.