JSE main market post strong gains

Rising prices outnumbered falling stocks leading to a strong rise in the market indices in trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed on Tuesday.
At the close the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index surged 1,972.76 points to close at 320,805.88 while the JSE Index jumped by 1,797.41 points to 292,290.45 as 23 securities changed hands in the main market leading to 11 advancing, 4 declining and 6 traded firm while the US dollar market saw 84,731 units trading with a value of US$48,586 with the index remaining unchanged as 4 securities traded.
Some of the contributors to the strong market gains are, Caribbean Cement that gained 99 cents, Grace Kennedy rising $1, JMMB Group with a gain of 86 cents, NCB Financial Group finishing $1.70 higher and Scotia Group that added 81 cents to its price.
Market activity ended with leading to 8,833,616 units valued at $92,295,814 changing hands compared to 894,417 units valued at $17,805,863 on Monday.
Trading ended with an average of 384,070 units for an average of $4,012,861 in contrast to 37,267 units for an average of $741,911 on Monday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 202,819 units valued at $3,038,361 and previously, and average of 159,395 units valued at $2,804,887. In contrast, October closed with average of 1,185,251 units valued at $16,528,582 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the main and US dollar market shows 7 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.

Mixed trading in Trinidad

Trading on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange on Tuesday resulted in 16 securities changing hands compared to 13 on Monday. One Caribbean Media was the dominant trade with 70 percent of the value of securities exchanged, while NCB Financial inched 1 cent higher, to end at a closing high of $6.21.
At the close, 4 stocks advanced, 8 declined and 4 remained unchanged as 656,483 shares traded at a value of $7,023,258 compared to Monday’s trades of 327,937 valued at $2,161,206.
The Composite Index gained 1.08 points to 1,284.03, the All T&T Index declined 1.80 points to 1,754.53 and the Cross Listed Index gained 0.55 points to close at 109.65.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 2 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 6 with lower offers.
Gains| The last traded price of the securities rising and the volumes changing hands are JMMB Group with gains of 4 cents, closed at $2.04 trading 181,662 shares valued at $352,263, NCB Financial Group ended at a 52 weeks’ closing high of $6.21, rising 1 cent with 1,084 units, earlier the price hit a record high of $6.34 before pulling back by the close. Prestige Holdings gained 1 cent to close at $10.76 with 3,000 shares and Sagicor Financial closed 5 cents higher to $8 in exchanging 3,158 shares.
Losses| The last traded price of the securities declining and the volume changing hands are Angostura Holdings with a loss of 5 cents, ended at $15 with 450 units, Ansa McAL lost 5 cents and closed at a 52 weeks’ low of $62.95, with 6,388 shares trading valued at $402,448. First Citizens slipped 8 cents, settling at $31.81 while exchanging 1,042 units, Guardian Holdings lost 1 cent, closing at $15 with 2,747 shares, Massy Holdings slid 35 cents to $49.50 with 400 units changing hands. Point Lisas ended at $3.96, with a loss of 4 cents in trading 25,000 shares, Trinidad Cement declined by 5 cents to settle at $3.95 with 400 units changing hands and Trinidad & Tobago NGL close down 1 cent, to $23.49 with 6,177 shares.
Firm Trades| the securities closing with unchanged prices at the close are Clico Investment closing at $21 after exchanging 37,694 shares valued at $791,524, while Grace Kennedy traded 33,150 shares at $3, One Caribbean Media settling at $14 with 354,031 shares valued at $4,956,434 and Republic Financial Holdings exchanging 100 units at $101.76.

Trinidad Stock Exchang trading mixed – Monday

Trading on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange closed on Monday with 13 securities changing hands compared to 14 on Friday as 3 stocks advanced, 3 declined and 7 were unchanged.
At the close, as 327,937 shares traded at a value of $2,161,206, compared to Friday’s trades of 909,312 valued at $3,281,614.
The Composite Index lost 0.12 points to 1,282.95, the All T&T Index gained 2.06 points to 1,756.33 and the Cross Listed Index eased back 0.32 points to close at 109.10.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 2 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 7 with lower offers.
Gains| The stock gaining are Grace Kennedy with a gain of 5 cents, and closed at a 52 weeks’ high of $3 in exchanging 70,650 shares, Guardian Holdings closing at $15.01, after rising 1 cent with 4, 937 shares trading and Republic Financial Holdings having advanced 76 cents to close at $101.76 with 1,437 units changing hands.
Losses| The securities declining based on the last traded prices are, First Citizens with a 1 cent loss, ending at $31.89 with 3,400 shares traded, JMMB Group slipped 11 cents, closing at $2 with 134,468 shares and Massy Holdings settled at $49.85,in losing 13 cents with 125 units trading.
Firm Trades| Stock trading unchanged at the close, are Ansa Merchant Bank closing at $40 trading 3,314 shares, Clico Investment remained at $21 exchanging 25,170 units valued at $528,570, National Flour Mills closed at $1.95 with 26,000 shares changing hands, Sagicor Financial traded 2,000 units at $7.95. Scotiabank closed with 100 units changing hands at $58.10, Trinidad Cement settled at $4 trading 37,036 shares and Trinidad & Tobago NGL ended at $23.50 with 19,264 shares valued at $453,704.

JSE main market falls back – Friday

Trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange ended on Friday with the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 1,443.17 points to close at 320,147.12 and the JSE Index declined by 1,314.89 points to close at 291,690.24.
At the close of market activity, 25 securities changed hands in the main market, 11 advanced, 10 declined and 4 traded firm with 4,118,253 units valued at $67,698,071 compared to 7,356,609 units valued at $123,516,599 on Thursday.
In US dollar market activity, the US dollar market index slipped 0.21 points to 180.67 as 3 securities traded with 2 declining and one remaining unchanged, leading to the 61,625 units trading with a value of US$54,145. Total trading in the two markets amounted to $74,574,532.
Trading ended with an average of 164,730 units for an average of $2,707,923 in contrast to 294,264 units for an average of $4,940,664 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 200,104 units valued at $3,492,546 and previously 218,920 units valued at $3,909,899. In contrast, October closed with average of 1,185,251 units valued at $16,528,582 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the main and US dollar market shows 7 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.

All Jamaica in major recovery – Thursday

NCB closes at new record high of $109 on Thursday.

The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index advanced 2,455.94 points to close at 321,590.29 and the JSE Index advanced 2,237.64 points to close at 293,005.13 as NCB Financial jumped $2.99 to a record close of $109.
Trading ended on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Thursday with 25 securities changing hands, 8 advanced, 8 declined and 9 traded firm with 7,356,609 units valued at $123,516,599.
There was trading in 2 securities In the US dollar market leading to the JSE US dollar Index falling 4.82 points to 180.88 as 5,802 shares with a value of US$1,474, bringing the total trades in the two markets to J$123,703,808. Wednesday’s trading in contrast to the increase trading on Thursday was 2,932,638 units valued at $60,248,652 on Wednesday.
Trading ended with an average of 294,264 units for an average of $4,940,664 in contrast to 133,302 units for an average of $2,738,575 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 218,920 units valued at $3,909,899 previously. In contrast, October closed with average of 1,185,251 units valued at $16,528,582 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the main and US dollar market shows 7 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.
In the main activity Berger Paints closed 30 cents higher at $16.30, with 16,296 shares, Cable & Wireless ended trading at $1.10, with 530,316 shares, Caribbean Cement climbed $3.44 higher at $34.95, with 2,500 stock units. Carreras settled at $11.50, with 712,762 units, Grace Kennedy ended trading with a loss of 1 cent at $41.99, with 97,977 shares, Jamaica Broilers traded at $18.60, with 354,001 stock units, Jamaica Producers concluded trading with a loss of 10 cents at $15.80 and with 4,035,262 units trading. Jamaica Stock Exchange settled 4 cents higher at $6.80, with 16,170 shares, JMMB Group ended with a loss of $1.19 at $28.51, with 84,297 shares, Kingston Properties concluded trading at $8, with 15,950 stock units, Kingston Wharves finished trading with a loss of 15 cents at $32.50, with 35,770 units. Mayberry Investments finished trading 5 cents higher at $4.35, with 306,697 shares, NCB Financial Group ended $2.99 higher at a record close of $109, with 60,063 shares, 138 Student Living closed with a loss of 10 cents at $5.40, with 22,900 shares, 1834 Investments finished with a loss of 20 cents at $1.15, with 109,594 stock units, PanJam Investment closed at $42, with 82,529 units, Pulse Investments concluded trading with a loss of 6 cents at $1.90, with 4,064 shares. Radio Jamaica settled at $1.15, with 161,673 stock units, Sagicor Group settled 95 cents higher at $39, with 407,273 units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund settled 30 cents higher at $14.50, with 75,122 shares, Salada Foods Jamaica settled with a loss of $1.30 at $8.50, with 10,000 shares. Scotia Group ended $1.28 higher at $51.79, with 131,230 stock units and Supreme Ventures settled at $11.80, with 42,177 shares. In the main market preference segment, JMMB Group ended with a loss of 1.19 cents at $28.51, with 84,297 stock units, and in the US dollar market Productivity Business Solutions traded 402 units at 58 US cents and Proven Investments traded 5,400 units at 23.99 US cents.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.

JMMB Group heads to new high

JMMB traded a new high on the TTSE.

JMMB Group closed at a new record high of $2.15 in Thursday’s trading on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange. Market activity ended with 17 securities changing hands compared to 12 on Wednesday with 2 stocks posting gains, 3 declining and 12 unchanged.
At the close, 328,493 shares traded at a value of $2,207,158 compared to Wednesday’s trades of 382,785 valued at $4,215,303.
The Composite Index dropped 2.51 points to 1,283.82, the All T&T Index declined by 5.64 points to 1,756.09 and the Cross Listed Index advanced 0.09 points to 109.37.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 4 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 5 with lower offers.
Gains| In trading on Thursday Angostura Holdings ended with a 5 cents gain, to close at $15.05 with 1,350 units and JMMB Group surpassed the previous day’s 52 weeks’ high to close at a new high of $2.15,after rising 5 cents with 67,087 shares trading.
Losses| Securities closing with losses are Clico Investment that traded 46 cents lower to $21 while exchanging 16,680 shares valued at $350,280, Guardian Holdings dropping 50 cents, and closed at $15 with 1,713 units and West Indian Tobacco dropped $2 to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $121, trading only 8 units.
Firm Trades| At the close of trading First Citizens closed at $31.80 with 1,061 units, Grace Kennedy held firm at $2.95 with 2,200 shares changing hands, Massy Holdings exchanged 3,331 shares at $50, National Flour Millsclosed at $1.98 with 2,500 shares. NCB Financial Group remained at $6.20 trading 125,205 shares valued at $776,301, One Caribbean Media closed at $14 with 195 units, Republic Financial Holdings settled at $101.76 with 1,873 shares trading. Sagicor Financial closed at $7.95 with trades of 4,290 shares, Trinidad Cement exchanged 100,000 shares at $4 valued at $400,000 and Bourse Brazil Latin Fund US Dollar shares closed at $8.08 with 1,000 units changing hands.

Main market pulls back on Wednesday

The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 2,335.17 points to close at 319,134.35 on Wednesday as the JSE Index declined by 2,127.60 points to close at 290,767.49 and the JSE US dollar Index rose 0.43 points to 185.70.
Trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed with 22 securities changing hands, 10 advanced, 6 declined and 4 traded firm with 1 rising in the US dollar market. A total of 2,932,638 units valued at $60,248,652 traded compared to 7,565,517 units valued at $85,572,923 on Tuesday.
Trading ended with an average of 133,302 units for an average of $2,738,575 in contrast to 328,936 units for an average of $3,720,562 on Tuesday. In contrast, October closed with average of 1,185,251 units valued at $16,528,582 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the main and US dollar market shows 7 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
In the main activity, Berger Paints concluded trading with a loss of 2 cents at $16, with 6,952 shares, Cable & Wireless ended 3 cents higher at $1.10, with 518,300 units, Caribbean Cement ended trading with a loss of $4.59 to $31.51, with 22,377 units, Carreras concluded trading 10 cents higher at $11.50, with 108,200 stock units, Grace Kennedy ended trading $2 higher at $42, with 110,784 units, Jamaica Broilers traded at $18.60, with 32,449 shares, Jamaica Producers finished with a loss of 10 cents at $15.90, with 560 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange finished with a loss of 14 cents at $6.76, with 18,180 stock units, JMMB Group traded $1.95 higher to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $29.70, with 11,000 units, Mayberry Investments concluded trading at $4.30, with 4,000 shares, NCB Financial Group lost 99 cents and ended at $106.01, with 317,087 shares, 138 Student Living ended trading 10 cents higher at $5.50, with 1,400,000 stock units, PanJam Investment settled 40 cents higher at $42, with 173,919 stock units, Pulse Investments settled with a loss of 1 cent at $1.96, with 6,500 shares, Radio Jamaica settled at $1.15, with 21,330 units, Sagicor Group concluded trading 5 cents higher at $38.05, with 57,923 units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund ended trading 6 cents higher at $14.20, with 6,544 shares, Scotia Group closed 1 cent higher at $50.51, with 4,000 units and Supreme Ventures finished at $11.80, with 42,564 shares. In the main market preference segment, Jamaica Money Market Brokers traded at $1.85, with 67,869 units, JMMB Group ended at $1.15, with 2,000 stock units and in the US dollar market Productivity Business Solutions traded 598 units and rose 0.50 cent to 58 US cents.

Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.

Record close for 3 Jamaican stocks

Grace Kennedy traded at a new high on the TTSE.

Grace Kennedy, JMMB Group and NCB Financial ended trading at record closing highs of $2.95, $2.10 and $6.20 respectively on Wednesday on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange, while Trinidad & Tobago NGL accounted for 80 percent of the value of securities exchanged.
Market activities ended with 12 securities changing hands compared to 16 on Tuesday and closed with 6 stocks advancing, 6 holding firm and no losses as 382,785 shares traded at a value of $4,215,303 compared to Tuesday’s trades of 290,111 valued at $3,885,729.
The Composite Index rose 12.04 points to 1,286.33, the All T&T Index advanced 2.40 points to 1,761.73 and the Cross Listed Index added 2.97 points to 109.28.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 5 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 6 with lower offers.
Gains| The securities recording gains at the end of trading are First Caribbean International Bank that gained 50 cents to close at $9, in exchanging 1,225 shares, Grace Kennedy gained 5 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $2.95, with 3,300 units, Guardian Holdings advanced 50 cents to $15.50, with 2,143 shares. JMMB Group climbed to a 52 weeks’ high of $2.10, after rising 5 cents and the trading of 224,110 shares valued at $471,767, NCB Financial Group added 5 cents, closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $6.20 with 1,000 units changing hands and Republic Financial Holdings gained 3 cents and closed at $101.79, with 31 units.
Firm Trades| Securities that closed with unchanged prices are First Citizens closing at $31.80 with 1,894 shares, Massy Holdings trading 5,000 shares at $50 and National Enterprises exchanging 30 units at $10. Prestige Holdings trading 26 stock units at $10.75, Sagicor Financial that remained at $7.95 with trades of 1,070 shares and Trinidad & Tobago NGL closed at $23.50 trading 142,956 units valued at $3,360,895.

Wisynco could be the next big JSE IPO

In 2015, West Indies Synthetics Company Ltd (WISYNCO) celebrated 50 years of operations by early 2018 the company is set to celebrate another milestone, as the third Mahfood majority owned company to be listed on the Jamaican Stock Exchange. 
Wisynco was formed as a result of the amalgamation of the three companies – West Indies Synthetics, Wisynco Trading Limited, and Jamaica Drink Company Limited.
Prior to this, CMP Industries that was primarily a manufacturing company supplying office equipment and material, was listed but suffered declining fortunes with the switch in import policies in the 1980s and 1990 that saw incentives being removed or slashed to protect local manufacturing. CMP still operates but as a property owner and is now controlled by the Trustees in Bankruptcy.
Jamaican Teas, listed on the Junior Market is majority owned by another branch of the family, that includes John Mahfood and his parent.

Wata produced by Wisynco

In 2009, Partner Foods Limited and Wendico Jamaica Limited merged to form one company – Wisynco Foods Limited. Wisynco Foods represents the brands Wendy’s, Domino’s and Haagen Dazs. In 2014, Wisynco purchased fifty percent share in United Estates Ltd & Trade Winds Citrus Ltd.
According to Wisynco website, Saleem Mahfood was married to Evelyn Shammas in Lebanon, following which on his return to Jamaica he opened his own wholesale haberdashery at 132 Harbour Street in downtown Kingston. He named it Mahfood’s Commercial Limited. The store distributed goods to retailers — footwear, including the once popular BATA sneakers, Cebo water boots; along with yard goods, and a range of haberdashery items.
The brothers formed WISYNCO and borrowed £150,000 from Barclays Bank to build and equip a 6,000-square-foot factory at Twickenham Park in St. Catherine and hence the official birth of Wisynco. The new plant started production and manufactured 60 pairs of boots per hour. Soon farmers, casual labourers, factory workers, and anyone needing protection from the elements would be sporting Jamaican-made Iron Man water boots. Initially Wisynco introduced a double-shift system to keep up with growing demand, and when that still was not enough, expanded to three shifts.

True Juice orange juice bottled by Wisynco

Growth continued even during the 1970s when Wisynco required 60,000 square feet of production and warehouse space in order to supply the Jamaican market with its expanding range of products.
Wisynco started production of cups and containers, in the old offices at West Indies Synthetics, Twickenham Park being brought into use as the thermoforming hall. In 1996, the company borrowed US$3 million and set up a 10,000 square-foot carbonated soft drink manufacturing plant and the start of BIGGA Soft Drink. In 2000 Wisynco introduced its own brand of purified artesian well water WATA to the Jamaican market.
in 2006, Wisynco began distributing Coca-Cola products on a non-exclusive basis.
Wisynco, recently opened its new distribution centre after fire gutted its Lakes Pen, St Catherine warehouse last year May. Chief Executive Officer Andrew Mahfood anticipates that the US$2 million ($2.6 billion) investment in the 360,000-square-foot distribution centre will further position the company to move aggressively after the export market. In fact, Wisynco plans to build a new beverage plant valued at US$8 million over the next six months to increase production numbers by 50 per cent as the company seeks to take on the Caribbean market.
IC Insider.com has been reliable advised that the company is estimated to have a market value around $38 billion at approximately the current average PE of the market. At this valuation when listed would rank as one of the largest company c on the exchange several bigger than any Junior Market company and about two thirds the size of Grace Kennedy and several times bigger than Jamaica Producers. NCB Capital Markets is said to be the brokers to the offering.

13 stocks fall to push JSE indices down

Trading on the Main and US dollar markets of the Jamaica Stock Exchange finished on Tuesday with 26 securities changing hands, 7 advanced, 13 declined and 6 traded firm as the main market indices dropped.
The market suffered declines of a dollar or more in Grace Kennedy, NCB Financial, PanJam Investment, Sagicor Group, Scotia Group and Seprod.
The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 2,137.38 points to close at 321,469.52 and is up 54 percent for 2017 to date. The JSE Index declined by 1,947.39 points to close at 292,895.09 and is up 53 percent for the year to date and the US dollar index rose 2.14 points to 185.27, up 12.6 percent for the year so far.
Trading ended with 7,565,517 units valued at $85,572,923 compared to 1,993,979 units valued at $25,589,860 on Monday in the main market. Three securities traded in the US dollar market accounting for 437,702 units for $115,825. The trades brought the total value of trading in both markets to $100,282,636.
The average of 328,936 units changed hands for an average of $3,720,562, in contrast to 99,699 units for an average of $1,279,493 on Monday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 1,185,251 units valued at $16,528,582 and 1,228,254 units valued at $17,171,780, previously. In contrast, September closed with average of $283,480 units at $3,630,990 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the main and US dollar markets shows 11 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.