Trading jumped to close the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday, with a 19 percent rise in the volume of stocks traded as the value jumped 45 percent compared with trading on Tuesday following trading in 43 securities, the same number as traded on Tuesday and ended with prices of 13 rising, 22 declining and eight closing unchanged.
Investors traded 12,676,118 shares at $35,697,055, compared to 10,678,936 units at $24,677,448 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 294,793 shares at $830,164 compared to 248,347 units at $573,894 on Tuesday with a month to date average of 293,808 units at $737,122 compared with 293,751 stocks at $731,795 on the previous day. June closed with an average of 319,230 units at $854,456.
Dolla Financial led trading with 7.45 million shares for 58.8 percent of total volume, followed by ONE on ONE Educational with 1.58 million units for 12.4 percent of the day’s trade and Spur Tree Spices with 643,534 units for 5.1 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index rose 3.11 points to close at 3,915.47.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 10.9. 
The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are calculated using the last traded price in conjunction with ICInsider.com’s projected earnings for the financial years ending between November 2023 and August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
At the close, Blue Power dipped 12 cents to $2.50 as investors traded 2,917 shares, Cargo Handlers fell $3.98 to close at $17 by clearing the market of 5,455 stock units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers declined 44 cents in closing at $2.66 with shareholders exchanging 37,788 stock units, Consolidated Bakeries rose 14 cents to end at $2.75 in an exchange of 11,283 stocks. Dolla Financial climbed 35 cents and ended at $2.75 with a transfer of 7,454,856 stock units, 
Fontana lost 11 cents in closing at $10.89 after a transfer of 29,968 units, Future Energy Source shed 21 cents to close at $3.74, with investors exchanging 199,795 stocks, Honey Bun increased 39 cents to end at $6.45 as 150,912 shares passed through the market. Indies Pharma dropped 13 cents to $3.06 after an exchange of 25,807 units, KLE Group fell 19 cents to $1.49 with investors transferring 6,558 stocks, Knutsford Express popped 95 cents in closing at $11.60 after an exchange of 5,309 shares, Main Event rallied 91 cents to close at $15.48 in switching ownership of 33,569 units. Medical Disposables lost 30 cents to close at $4, with 37,159 stocks crossing the market, MFS Capital Partners advanced 15 cents to $2.55, with an exchange of 468,075 units, Paramount Trading gained 10 cents to finish trading at $1.90 while exchanging 200 shares. 
Stationery and Office Supplies shed 48 cents and ended at $27.50 in an exchange of 107,689 stock units and Tropical Battery dropped 9 cents to $1.95 and closed with 433,555 units changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Investors traded 10,678,936 shares at $24,677,448, up from 3,833,833 units for $12,740,526 on Monday.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 11. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are calculated using the last traded price in conjunction with ICInsider.com’s projected earnings for the financial years ending between November 2023 and August 2024.
Fontana gained 8 cents to end at $11 with a transfer of 120,687 shares. Future Energy Source advanced 15 cents to $3.95, with 147,491 stocks being traded, Honey Bun declined 43 cents to close at $6.06, with 37,303 shares crossing the exchange, Image Plus Consultants lost 18 cents and ended at $2.30 in trading 154,518 units, Iron Rock Insurance dipped 50 cents in closing at $2 in an exchange of 24,721 shares. Medical Disposables shed 76 cents to end at $4.30 after an exchange of 15,440 stock units, MFS Capital Partners dipped 18 cents to close at $2.40 with 143,773 shares crossing the market, 
Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 10 cents to $27.98 with an exchange of 92,464 stocks and Tropical Battery increased 19 cents in closing at $2.04 after trading 323,285 units.
Investments fell 12 percent to $11.17 and Caribbean Cement slipped 9 percent to $50.03.
Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and gradually reducing the supply of several of them that are attractively priced as the market moves through the summer months, the start of the stock market year when new results will be coming to the market for investors to assess and determine what to do.
Investors traded 6,180,875 shares for $20,046,474 versus 7,810,602 units at $20,148,012 on Wednesday.
At the close, Caribbean Cream fell 29 cents and ended at $4.20 after trading 10,214 shares, Caribbean Flavours shed 12 cents to close at $1.23 with an exchange of 64,838 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries climbed 20 cents to $2.80 while exchanging a mere 13 units. Dolphin Cove increased 69 cents to end at $16.99, with stakeholders exchanging 20,925 stock units, Elite Diagnostic lost 10 cents in closing at $1.90, with 900 stock units crossing the market, Everything Fresh dipped 14 cents to $1.40 after investors exchanged 3,813 stocks. General Accident declined 26 cents to close at $4.70, with 834 units changing hands, Honey Bun dropped 34 cents to end at $6.10 in switching ownership of 2,372 shares, Image Plus Consultants dipped 8 cents in closing at $2.22 in an exchange of 2,326,364 units after posting a record intraday high of $2.55.
Iron Rock Insurance popped 40 cents and ended at $2.50 with investors transferring just four stock units, Jamaican Teas shed 10 cents in closing at $2.10 after an exchange of 33,514 shares, Lasco Distributors declined 18 cents to close at $4 in trading 150,218 stocks. Lasco Financial dropped 10 cents at $2.30 and closed after an exchange of 13,577 units, Limners and Bards fell 14 cents and ended at $2.06, with 2,000 units clearing the market, Lumber Depot lost 16 cents to end at $2 after 38,281 shares crossed the market. Paramount Trading shed 20 cents to end at $1.80 in an exchange of 45,662 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies dropped $1.78 to close at $26 with shareholders swapping a solid 182,798 stocks days ahead of the nine for one stock split that is up for approval on Tuesday
at the company’s AGM with the ex-split data now set for July 31 with the record data moving up to August 2 from the originally stated July 25 and tTech dipped 32 cents in closing at $1.79 after 25,991 stock units passed through the market.
Investors traded 7,810,602 shares for $20,148,012 versus 63,417,243 units at $135,258,234.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Elite Diagnostic dropped 15 cents in closing at $2, with 143,938 units crossing the exchange, Fontana shed 20 cents to end at $10.80 after investors ended trading 295,603 shares, Future Energy Source rose 8 cents to $3.97 while exchanging 195,231 stock units, GWest Corporation gained 13 cents to close at $1.07 with a transfer of 104 shares, Honey Bun climbed 71 cents in closing at $6.44, with 9,799 units changing hands, Indies Pharma advanced 11 cents to end at $3.20 with shareholders swapping 131,400 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance declined 40 cents in ending at $2.10 after a transfer of 237 stocks, Jamaican Teas climbed 8 cents in closing at $2.20 in switching ownership of 14,811 units, KLE Group fell 20 cents to close at $1.54 after an exchange of 200 shares, Knutsford Express lost 99 cents to close at $10.51 as investors exchanged 14,497 stocks, Lasco Distributors gained 28 cents to end at $4.18, with 294,817 stock units crossing the market, MFS Capital Partners dropped 16 cents in closing at $2.54 in an exchange of 356,333 shares, 
Paramount Trading rose 20 cents and ended at $2 with investors transferring 3,990 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies increased 78 cents to close at $27.78, with 51,444 units crossing the market and Tropical Battery rallied 13 cents to end at $2.04 as investors exchanged 64,200 stocks.
In the Junior Market, iCreate dropped 12 percent to $1.14, followed by a 10 percent decline in 
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
Investors traded 4,686,473 shares for $13,003,928 compared with 4,727,854 units at $15,265,121 on Thursday.
ICInsider.com’s projected earnings for the financial years ending between November 2023 and August 2024.
Express Catering shed 17 cents to end at $5.25 after exchanging 37 stocks. Fontana rose 42 cents to close at $10.97 in switching ownership of 67,411 stock units, Fosrich declined 8 cents to end at $2.22 after trading 96,243 shares, Future Energy Source fell 15 cents to $3.81 after an exchange of 112,655 units, Honey Bun dipped 17 cents to close at $6.50 with a transfer of 193,881 stocks. Image Plus Consultants shed 21 cents to $2.09 after stakeholders ended trading 207,296 shares, Indies Pharma advanced 9 cents in closing at $3.20 with 311 stock units changing hands, Iron Rock Insurance lost 15 cents to end at $2.50 in an exchange of 10,021 stocks, ISP Finance dropped $2.99 to $20.01 with 5,004 units clearing the market. Jamaican Teas shed 25 cents to $2.09 with shareholders swapping 193,102 stocks,
Knutsford Express declined 45 cents to close at $11.50 with stakeholders exchanging 1,759 units, Lasco Financial dipped 8 cents in closing at $2.31 in exchanging 16,959 stock units, Main Event gained 9 cents in ending at $15.99 with investors trading 1,594 shares and Stationery and Office Supplies dropped 35 cents to finish at $28 as investors transferred 32,972 shares.
volume of stocks traded after the value plunged 85 percent below Wednesday and ended with 44 securities trading compared to 45 on Wednesday and closed with 23 rising, 13 declining and eight closing unchanged.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.4. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed using the last traded price in conjunction with ICInsider.com’s projected earnings for the financial years ending between November 2023 and August 2024.
Indies Pharma fell 9 cents to $3.11 with a transfer of 4,442 shares, ISP Finance climbed $3.30 in closing at $23 in switching ownership of 22 stocks, Jamaican Teas advanced 14 cents and ended at $2.34 while exchanging 521 stock units. Knutsford Express rallied 30 cents to close at $11.95, with 6,707 units crossing the exchange, Lasco Distributors dropped 10 cents to end at $3.89 with an exchange of 52,773 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing climbed 25 cents to $4.90 as investors exchanged 656,811 units. MFS Capital Partners rallied 15 cents in closing at $2.80, with 129,215 shares crossing the market, Spur Tree Spices shed 8 cents to $2.10 after exchanging 54,734 stocks,
Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 80 cents and ended at $28.35 in an exchange of 89,719 shares and Tropical Battery declined 8 cents to end at $1.91 after a transfer of 1,382 stock units.
Investors traded 6,643,595 shares at $16,190,340 up from 3,691,376 units at $12,494,675 on Monday.
The market closed with negative readings after Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator showed five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and nine with lower offers.
Fosrich dropped 15 cents to $2.25 while exchanging 427,975 stocks, General Accident declined 45 cents after ending at $4.55 with 2,000 shares changing hands, iCreate dropped 9 cents in closing at $1.10 and closed with an exchange of 137,549 units. Iron Rock Insurance rose 16 cents to close at $2.65 with stakeholders exchanging 25 shares, ISP Finance rallied $2.11 to $26.50, with 7,690 units crossing the market, Jamaican Teas climbed 14 cents to end at $2.49 as investors traded 90,132 stock units, Lasco Distributors lost 37 cents to close at $3.52 in an exchange of 2,238 stocks. Lasco Manufacturing gained 11 cents in closing at $4.36 as 26,300 stocks passed through the market, Main Event shed 14 cents to end at $16 with a transfer of 5,721 shares, MFS Capital Partners climbed 18 cents to $2.79 in an exchange of 229,200 stock units. 
Paramount Trading rose 52 cents to $2.08 after 25,000 units crossed the market, Spur Tree Spices popped 8 cents in closing at $2.18 after a transfer of 2,441,128 units and Stationery and Office Supplies advanced $1.19 to close at $28.20, with 22,346 stocks crossing the exchange.
Dollar Financial reported second quarter profit after trading ended on Friday, showing a profit of $105 million compared with $59 million in the 2022 June quarter and $227 million for the six months to June versus $119 million in 2022. Earnings per share ended at 4 cents in the latest quarter and 9 cents year to date. The period shows a small amount set aside for expected credit losses, but the cash flow shows that only 75 percent of interest earned was paid during the period, down from 77 percent for the 2022 first half and 80 percent for the 2022 full year.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
