Market activity ended on Wednesday with a rise in all three indices after 70 percent fewer shares traded carrying, with a 66 percent lower value than on Tuesday, resulting in an even number of stocks falling and rising at the close of the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange.
At the close, 19 traded compared to 20 on Tuesday, with three stocks rising, three declining and 13 remaining unchanged. The Composite Index popped 5.72 points to 1,385.62, the All T$T Index gained 0.76 points to 1,876.45, and the Cross-Listed Index rose 1.54 points to end at 120.57.
A total of, 578,611 shares traded, for $7,318,842 compared to 1,948,761 units at $21,671,147 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 30,453 units at $385,202 compared to 97,438 at $1,083,557 on Tuesday. The average trade for the month to date amounts to 64,804 units at $743,333. May averaged 25,935 units at $406,593.
The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows no stock ending with bids higher than its last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Agostini’s ended at $24.40 with 80 units clearing the market, Angostura Holdings lost 5 cents in closing at $14.95 after exchanging 2,000 stocks, Ansa McAL remained at $56.75 after a transfer of 4,897 stock units. Clico Investment Fund popped $1.46 to end at $26.96 with 75,780 stock units changing hands, CinemaOne remained at $4 in switching ownership of 2,900 shares, First Citizens Bank remained at $50 with 469 stocks crossing the exchange. FirstCaribbean International Bank gained 39 cents to end at $6.49, trading 120 shares, Grace Kennedy closed at $5.25 with 70,008 shares changing hands, Guardian Holdings rose 49 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $34 in switching ownership of 16,040 stocks. 
JMMB Group lost 6 cents in closing at $1.75 with a transfer of 80,103 stock units, Massy Holdings ended at $69.76 after exchanging 50 units, National Enterprises closed at $3 with the swapping of 3,030 stocks. NCB Financial Group remained at $8.50, trading 291,105 shares, One Caribbean Media was unchanged at $4.80 with 500 stocks clearing the market, Prestige Holdings closed at $6.55 in transferring 1,167 shares. Republic Financial Holdings dipped 5 cents to $134.95 after 19 stock units cleared the market with . Scotiabank ended at $57 after exchanging 23,938 shares, Trinidad & Tobago NGL closed at $17.50 in trading 6,105 stocks and Unilever Caribbean finished at $16.33 with the swapping of 300 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
NCB Financial Group close at $8.50 in an exchange of 1,303,500 units, National Enterprises traded 20,281 stock units at $3 after rising 4 cents, National Flour exchanged 218,348 units at $2.30, Republic Financial Holdings closed at $135 after trading 48 stock units, Scotiabank closed at $57, with 16,069 stock units clearing the market, Trinidad & Tobago NGL lost $1 to close at $17.50 after trading 26,322 stock units. Trinidad Cement ended at $3.30, with an exchange of 39 stock units, Unilever Caribbean closed at $16.33 after exchanging 8,297 stocks and West Indian Tobacco lost 1 cent to end at $32.50 after trading 305 shares.
fell 7 cents to $1.74 after trading 273,813 stock units, L.J Williams B share shed 5 cents in closing at $1.35 trading 10,000 stock units, Massy Holdings stayed at $69.76 after exchanging 777 shares. NCB Financial Group lost 25 cents to close at $8.50 in an exchange of 78,000 units, One Caribbean Media rose 30 cents to $4.80 in exchanging 500 stock units, Point Lisas climbed 10 cents to $3.10 while trading 1,051 units. Republic Financial Holdings stayed at $135 in trading 2,925 stock units, Scotiabank closed at $57, with 22,521 stock units clearing the market, Trinidad & Tobago NGL climbed 77 cents to $18.50 trading 300 stock units. Trinidad Cement rose 5 cents to $3.30, with an exchange of 10 stock units and Unilever Caribbean inched up 1 cent in closing at $16.33 and exchanging 30,401 stocks.Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
At the close, 13 traded compared to 14 on Wednesday, with four stocks rising, three declining and six remaining unchanged. The Composite Index fell 3.94 points to 1,370.45, the All T&T Index shed 7.63 points to close at 1,853.16 and the Cross-Listed Index remained unchanged at 119.67.
Guardian Holdings advanced 18 cents to $32.50 after 24,047 shares crossed the exchange, JMMB Group settled at $1.81 in trading 2,080 stock units, Massy Holdings advanced $1.25 to end at $69.76, exchanging 27 stocks. National Flour Mills traded 1,020 shares at $2.30, NCB Financial Group increased 25 cents to $8.75, with 49,992 units clearing the market, Prestige Holding remained at $6.55, with an exchange of 1,332 shares. Trinidad & Tobago NGL declined 11 cents to $17.73 in trading 3,005 units, Unilever Caribbean lost 1 cent in closing at $16.32 with an exchange of 4,605 units and West Indian Tobacco increased 3 cents to $32.51 after exchanging 95,070 stocks.
At the close, 14 traded compared to 16 on Tuesday, with four stocks rising, four declining and six remaining unchanged. The Composite Index rose 6.80 points to 1,374.39, the All T&T Index advanced 13.16 points to 1,860.79 and the Cross-Listed Index remained unchanged at 119.67.
National Flour Mills settled at $2.30 while exchanging 130,465 stocks, NCB Financial Group closed at $8.50 with the swapping of 60,249 shares, Prestige Holdings fell 44 cents to end at $6.55 in an exchange of 909 shares. Scotiabank gained $1 to end at $57 after clearing the market with 22,486 units, Trinidad & Tobago NGL gained 89 cents to close at $17.84 after exchanging 91,271 stock units, Unilever Caribbean closed at $16.33, with 2,058 stocks crossing the market and West Indian Tobacco fell 1 cent to end at $32.48 with the swapping of 3,247 shares.
At the close, 16 traded compared to 15 on Monday, with nine stocks rising, one declining and six closing unchanged. The Composite Index climbed 9.11 points to 1,367.59, the All T&T Index rose 8.76 points to end at 1,847.63 and the Cross-Listed Index gained 1.33 points to settle at 119.67.
Guardian Holdings picked up 15 cents to close at $32.50 trading 27,000 stocks, JMMB Group remained at $1.81 in switching ownership of 60 shares. Massy Holdings jumped $7.75 to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $74.75 after 2,250 units crossed the exchange, National Flour Mills closed at $2.30 in trading 84,166 shares, NCB Financial Group traded 100,000 stocks at $8.50. Point Lisas gained 5 cents to settle at $3 in exchanging 1,248 stocks, Prestige Holdings lost 1 cent to end at $6.99 trading 222 units, Republic Financial Holdings closed at $135 in transferring 416 shares. Scotiabank advanced $1.10 to $56 after exchanging 31,802 units, Trinidad & Tobago NGL rose 46 cents to $16.95 in trading 81,953 shares and Unilever Caribbean added 1 cent in closing at $16.33 with the swapping of 702 shares.
A total of 1,938,335 shares traded for $22,585,268 versus 334,379 units at $6,637,409 on Friday.
National Enterprises dipped 4 cents to $2.96, with 2,043 units switching owners, NCB Financial Group climbed 20 cents to $8.50, with 1,754,266 shares crossing the market, One Caribbean Media shed 39 cents to close at $4.50 while exchanging 399 shares. Republic Financial Holdings settled at $135 in an exchange of 1,062 shares, Scotiabank closed at $54.90 trading 51,984 stock units, Trinidad & Tobago NGL ended at $16.49 after 20,607 shares changed hands. Unilever Caribbean slipped 1 cent to $16.32 trading 83 stock units and West Indian Tobacco settled at $32.49 with an exchange of 3,047 shares.
The Junior Market has to decidedly break through the upper limit of the trading channel, to free it to move on to the next area of resistance, just over 4,000 mark, but the Main Market has room to run for a few thousand points before it hits the channel top at 460,000 points.
The top three Main Market stocks are Radio Jamaica in the number one spot, followed by Wisynco and PanJam Investments, with expected gains of 151 to 344 percent.
National Flour Mills remained at $2.30 after an exchange of 95,998 stocks, NCB Financial Group closed at $8.30 with an exchange of 3,700 units, One Caribbean Media gained 1 cent to close at $4.89 after switching ownership of 6,000 units. Point Lisas remained at $2.95, with 1,000 stock units clearing the market, Republic Financial Holdings remained at $135 after trading 530 shares, Scotiabank ended after exchanging 2,002 stock units to end at $54.90. Trinidad & Tobago NGL climbed $1.49 to close at $16.49 in an exchange of 23,421 stocks, Unilever Caribbean remained at $16.33 after exchanging 2,000 units and West Indian Tobacco advanced 4 cents to end at $32.49, trading 3,203 shares.
Trinis missing the salient points
Another Trinidad company (Massy Holdings) is set to list on the Jamaica Stock Exchange on the basis that the sophistication and growth opportunities are evident in the Jamaican securities market that has become increasingly more dynamic over the past few years.
They may be right about the Jamaican capital market, but they are missing the real issues. The stock prices of listed companies in T&T Stock Exchange have been priced out of the reach of the average Trinidadians and the directors don’t seem to understand that or worse seem to care about the smaller investors. Guardian Holdings with 232,024,923 million shares issued and Massy with nearly 98 million shares will just not have the liquidity to trade frequently in good volumes in either the Trinidad or Jamaican market. Unfortunately, those are not the only companies in that market that are so affected. The companies need to have the issued number of shares increased. for decent trading in the Jamaican market around two to three billion issued shares will be an appropriate level.
The other factor is the need to put the companies on a growth path for profits that investors can have confidence in acquiring and holding the shares. The weakness in this area of profitability, is not the sole purview of the companies, as the government has a role to play in this.
Guardian Holdings hit 52 weeks high on TTSE.
The evidence is crystal clear, investors love stock splits and they help move stock prices as investors buy up shares they previously ignore for being overpriced. This has been without a doubt the clear case in the Jamaican market. For years PanJam Investments directors resisted recommending to shareholders the splitting of the company’s stocks but relented a few years ago, with the stock price that was stagnant for years coming to life and rewarded shareholders with much higher value afterward. It is therefore difficult to understand why directors, with the evidence so clear, want to have elevated stock prices and limited liquidity of their stock. Last year Apple and Tesla sand split their stocks to much investors acclaim, just this week Nvidia Corporation in the USA, with the price jumping after announcing a four for one split.