Stocks rallied decisively on the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market on Thursday, with winners outdoing losers by a wide margin, sending the market index nearly 35 points higher at the close, above 3,000 points, the highest point since July 24, following trading in 44 securities, compared with 45 on Wednesday and ending with prices of 23 rising, just 11 declining and 10 closing unchanged.
The market closed with a 33 percent rise in volume to 9,607,200 shares up from 7,242,815 units, for a 29 percent higher at $16,791,971, up from $12,972,389 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 218,345 shares at $381,636, and jumping from 160,951 shares at $288,275 on Wednesday. Trading for the month to date ends with an average of 227,568 units at $386,601 compared to 228,144 units at $386,911 on the previous day and lower than the average of 433,821 shares at $676,565 for August.
Woodcats International led trading with 2.34 million shares for 24.4 percent of total volume, followed by Iron Rock Insurance with 2.0 million stocks for 20.8 percent of the day’s trade, Image Plus closed with 1.72 million stocks for 17.9 percent of the volume traded and Atlantic Hardware with 1.31 million units for 13.6 percent of market share.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index rallied 34.54 points to end at 3,014.73. The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 11.3. ICInsider.com computes the PE ratios, that are derived by dividing the last traded stock price by earnings per share for companies with the fiscal year ending around August 2027.
At the close of trading, Access Financial skidded by 32 cents to close at $19 in switching ownership of 1,479 stocks, Cargo Handlers rose 41 cents to end at $14.50 with trading in 7,000 units, Caribbean Cream bounced back from a fall on Wednesday, climbing 44 cents to finish at $2.75 in an exchange of 13,826 shares. Derrimon Trading increased 15 cents to end at 91 cents with 188,724 stock units passing through the market, Express Catering lost 5 cents to close at $1.90 with 34,890 shares crossing the exchange, Fontana dropped 13 cents to close at $6.02 after trading of 77,605 stock units. Honey Bun popped 11 cents to $6.10 with 96,430 units clearing the market, Image Plus rallied 25 cents in closing at a 52 weeks high of $1.80 with investors trading 1,721,849 stocks, 
Iron Rock Insurance advanced 38 cents to finish at $3.38 with 1,998,565 units crossing the market. JFP shed 5 cents and ended at 40 cents after an exchange of 126,188 shares, Knutsford Express declined 65 cents to at $8 with investors swapping 9,597 stock units, Lasco Financial gained 15 cents to close at $1.56 after a transfer of 67,845 stocks. ONE on ONE Educational rallied by 7 cents to 72 cents as investors exchanged 26,283 units and Stationery and Office Supplies fell 14 cents to finish at $1.42 with 13,813 stocks crossing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those of the last transaction.
The market closed with trading of 7,242,815 shares for $12,972,389, compared with 18,292,127 units at $52,757,367 on Tuesday.
Cargo Handlers declined by $1.70 to close at $14.09 after trading of 16,320 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers declined by 7 cents to close at $1.70 with 760,297 units crossing the exchange. Caribbean Cream fell 32 cents to close at $2.31 after trading of 52,056 stocks, Caribbean Flavours shed 11 cents to end at $1.16 with an exchange of 8,546 shares, Consolidated Bakeries advanced 19 cents in closing at $1.38 with 415 units passing through the market. Derrimon Trading dropped 8 cents to a 52 weeks low of 76 cents in switching ownership of 218,089 stocks, Dolphin Cove popped 45 cents to finish at $9.85 with 12,120 stock units crossing the market, Elite Diagnostic dipped 21 cents and ended at $1.51 in an exchange of 20,428 shares. Fontana skidded 19 cents in closing at $6.15 with 32,489 stocks clearing the market, GWest Corporation climbed 9 cents to close at 71 cents with investors trading 970 units, Honey Bun fell 10 cents to end at $5.99 after an exchange of 6,077 stock units. 
Image Plus rose 15 cents to a 52 weeks high of $1.55 with investors trading 1,106,885 shares, Indies Pharma gained 5 cents and ended at $2.56 after an exchange of 1,046 units, ISP Finance dipped 77 cents in closing at $7.60 with investors trading 99 stocks. Jamaican Teas lost 9 cents to finish at $2.06 with a transfer of 72,688 stock units, Jetcon Corporation increased 19 cents to end at a 52 weeks high of $4.79 with investors dealing in 180,565 shares, Limners and Bards rallied 12 cents to close at $1.05 with 148,227 stocks changing hands. Mailpac Group increased 5 cents to $2.37 in trading 10,248 units and Regency Petroleum slipped 6 cents and ended at $4.09 with 8,519 shares changing hands.
The market closed with trading of 18,292,127 shares for $52,757,367, compared with 34,074,813 units at $36,835,128 on Monday.
ICInsider.com computes the PE ratios that are derived by dividing the last traded stock price by earnings per share for companies with the fiscal year ending around August 2027.
Honey Bun advanced 11 cents to finish at $6.09 with an exchange of 5,833 stocks, Indies Pharma shed 8 cents to end at $2.51 after 51,400 stock units passed through the market. Jetcon Corporation gained 30 cents in closing at $4.60 after trading of 320,538 shares, Lasco Financial skidded 16 cents to $1.41 in an exchange of 26,000 units, Main Event rose 5 cents and ended at $3.80 with 5,449 stocks clearing the market and RA Williams rallied 5 cents to close at a 52 weeks high of 75 cents after a transfer of 351,005 stock units.
A total of 34,074,813 shares worth $36,835,128 changed hands in a surge from 6,915,830 stock units at $9,645,165 on Friday.
Cargo Handlers rallied by $1.57 and ended at $15.83 with a transfer of 377 stocks, Caribbean Cream gained 24 cents to finish at $2.64 with 2,406 shares crossing the market, Caribbean Flavours rose 10 cents to close at $1.37 with investors trading 65,523 units. Consolidated Bakeries advanced 5 cents to $1.40 with an exchange of 57 shares, Derrimon Trading rose 8 cents to close at 89 cents with an exchange of 258,929 stock units, Dolla Financial climbed 20 cents and ended at 52 weeks high of $3.90 in switching ownership of 565,705 shares. Dolphin Cove rose 75 cents to $9.85 after an exchange of 71,055 stocks and the price hitting a 52 weeks intraday low of $8, Elite Diagnostic climbed 20 cents to end at $1.72 with a transfer of 1,247 units, Everything Fresh rose 23 cents to close at $1.91 after an exchange of 4,079 stock units. Express Catering gained 11 cents to $1.96 in trading 201,350 shares, GWest Corporation popped 10 cents to finish at 57 cents with 5,884 units crossing the exchange, Indies Pharma shed 5 cents and ended at $2.59 with investors dealing in 12,254 stocks. 
Iron Rock Insurance lost 22 cents to close at $3 in an exchange of 499,112 stock units, Knutsford Express advanced 60 cents to end at $8.65 after trading of 8,042 shares, Limners and Bards skidded 17 cents in closing at 93 cents with 25,999,843 stock units changing hands. Lumber Depot rallied 14 cents to $2.54 after a transfer of 7,889 stocks, ONE on ONE Educational dropped 7 cents and ended at 65 cents as investors exchanged 33,979 units and RA Williams popped 7 cents to finish at a 52 weeks high of 70 cents with 2,303,292 shares clearing the market.
The past week’s top performing Junior Market stocks include five on this ICInsider.com TOP10 list. Those on the list are RA Williams Distributors, Access Financial, Caribbean Assurance, Main Event and Omni Industries.
Rounding out the top five winners for the week are Main Event Entertainment, up 14.33 percent and Spur Tree Spices rallied by 13.28 percent. Indies Pharma popped 12 percent, Limners and Bards climbed by 7.84 percent, Omni Industries rose by 6.82 percent, Consolidated Bakeries ended with a gain of 6.3 percent and JFP 5 percent.
Overall, the winning stocks are dominated by the standout mover, R.A. Williams Distributors. The rest of the gains were modest and broadly spread across insurance, financial services, entertainment, food, and pharmaceuticals. On the losering side, declines were fairly evenly clustered between 8.5 percent and 15.2 percent, with no single stock experiencing an outsized drop, spanning sectors such as retail, finance, healthcare and trading.
Several Junior Market stocks posted strong gains during the past week. Edufocal led with a 46.15 percent surge, followed by One Great Studio up 13.16 percent, and Iron Rock advancing 12 percent. Other notable winners included ONEonOne with a rise of 11.11 percent, MFS Capital Partners gaining 10 percent and IPCL advancing 8.7 percent.
Express Catering, not without some flaws, including excessive interest-free lending to its parent company, is expected to generate improved profits in the current fiscal year, with tourism traffic to the country gradually improving. RA Williams sits in the number 3 position as of Friday, with first quarter results showing a major turnaround and delivering a solid rise in revenues and profit; Caribbean Assurance Brokers and Caribbean Cream follow. Main Event makes the list based on the assumption of a recovery in operations in 2027.
The market closed with trading of 8,413,693 shares for $10,662,413, up from 7,321,627 stock units at $8,554,856 on Monday.
At the close of trading, AMG Packaging rose by 7 cents to close at $1.80 with an exchange of 43,105 shares, Blue Power popped 25 cents to $3.49 with a swapping of 900 shares, Cargo Handlers advanced 55 cents to finish at $15.55 as investors exchanged 2 units. Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 10 cents tot $1.60 in trading 16,343 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries rose 13 cents to $1.40 with 819 stock units passing through the market, Dolphin Cove dipped 40 cents in closing at $9.05 in an exchange of 27,010 shares. Elite Diagnostic climbed 8 cents to $1.77 with investors dealing in 1,165 stocks, Everything Fresh increased 39 cents in closing at $1.97 in an exchange of 1,740 stock units, Fontana lost 25 cents and ended at $6.15 with 52,794 shares clearing the market. Image Plus rallied 7 cents to end at $1.30 after an exchange of 858,023 units, JFP declined 13 cents to close at 35 cents with a transfer of 449,311 stocks, 
Main Event shed 30 cents to finish at $3.50 with 557 stock units crossing the exchange. MFS Capital Partners dropped 10 cents and ended at 45 cents after trading 273,553 shares, Paramount Trading popped 6 cents to $1 with 200,000 units crossing the market, RA Williams rallied 5 cents in closing at a 52 weeks high of 52 cents, with a transfer of 2,124,176 stocks. Regency Petroleum slipped 9 cents and ended at $4.06, with 5,808 shares changing hands and Spur Tree Spices rose 16 cents to end at $1.45, with investors trading 1,320,538 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those of the last transaction.
Trading resulted in an exchange of 7,321,627 shares worth $8,554,856, compared with 7,107,298 stocks at $9,084,330 on Friday.
Honey Bun dropped 19 cents to end at $5.80 with an exchange of 124,406 units, Jamaican Teas climbed 12 cents to finish at $2.20 after 78,051 stocks cleared the market, JFP gained 8 cents to close at 48 cents after an exchange of 122,739 stock units. Main Event advanced 52 cents to $3.80 with investors swapping 6,856 shares, Omni Industries rose 5 cents to end at 93 cents with 500 units crossing the market, Paramount Trading dipped 6 cents in closing at 94 cents with investors trading 14,417 stocks. RA Williams rallied 8 cents to close at 47 cents after a transfer of 3,102,606 stock units and Regency Petroleum skidded 23 cents to finish at $4.15 in switching ownership of 34,295 shares.
The market closed with trading of an average of 167,945 shares traded at $209,496, after an increase from 106,086 stock units at $201,983 on Tuesday. Trading month to date, ended with an average of 140,604 stock units at $270,599 compared to 136,439 stock units at $279,908 on the preceding day and well lower than August, with an average of 433,821 shares at $676,565.
ICInsider.com compiles the PE ratios, which are derived by dividing the last traded price of a stock by earnings per share for companies with their fiscal year ending around August 2026.
Jetcon Corporation popped 21 cents in closing at a 52 weeks high of $4.35, with trading of 287,330 shares, Knutsford Express shed 34 cents to end at $8.66 with 7,107 stock units passing through the market. Lasco Financial gained 15 cents to close at $1.55 in trading 43,784 shares, Lumber Depot slipped 21 cents and settled at $2.32 with 51,344 shares changing hands, Main Event lost 20 cents to stop at $3.80 with investors trading 4,753 units. MFS Capital Partners shed 5 cents to close at 45 cents with a transfer of 27,351 stock units and Regency Petroleum rallied 19 cents to finish at $4.18 after an exchange of 1,074 shares.
Trading resulted in an exchange of 4,455,615 shares for $8,483,284, with an increase from 4,381,580 units at $7,840,390 on Monday.
At the close of trading, Access Financial fell $1.17 in closing at $16.83 with 847 stock units being traded, AMG Packaging rallied 24 cents to $1.84 with an exchange of 2,998 shares, Atlantic Hardware rose 5 cents to close at $1.43 after a transfer of 377,830 stocks. CAC 2000 lost 26 cents to end at $1.44 after exchanging of 600 stock units, Cargo Handlers gained 35 cents after closing at $14.50 with trading of a mere 1,000 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers climbed by 7 cents and to $1.70 with a transfer of 332,456 stock units. Caribbean Cream declined 20 cents to $2.45 in an exchange of 3,473 units, Derrimon Trading shed 7 cents to finish at 88 cents with investors swapping 595,928 stocks, Dolla Financial climbed 10 cents and ended at $3.50 after an exchange of 785,742 units. Elite Diagnostic dropped 30 cents to end at $1.57 with a transfer of 4,736 stocks, Express Catering increased 13 cents in closing at $1.98 with 40,734 shares crossing the exchange, 
Lasco Financial skidded 6 cents to close at $1.40 in trading 418,652 stock units. Mailpac Group gained 6 cents to close at $2.37 with 2,423 shares crossing the market, ONE on ONE Educational popped 11 cents and ended at 73 cents with investors exchanging 17,457 shares, Regency Petroleum slipped 20 cents to $3.99 with 193,016 units clearing the market and Spur Tree Spices dipped 12 cents and ended at $1.28 with investors dealing in 120,140 stock units.