Trading picked up appreciably at the close of the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday, with a 193 percent rise in the volume of stocks traded and the value jumped 118 percent over Thursday with trading in 46 securities compared with 48 on Thursday and ended with prices of 14 rising, 21 declining and 11 closing unchanged.
Trading climbed sharply on Friday with an exchange of 11,943,047 shares for $17,624,061 up solidly from 4,082,483 units at $8,098,206 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 259,631 shares at $383,132 compared with 85,052 units at $168,713 on Thursday with the month to date, averaging 171,223 stocks at $369,829 compared to 164,175 stock units at $368,769 on the previous day and September with an average of 419,421 shares at $774,292.
Stationery and Office Supplies led trading with 7.08 million shares for 59.2 percent of total volume followed by ONE on ONE Educational with 958,740 units for 8 percent of the day’s trade and One Great Studio with 861,147 stock units for 7.2 percent market share.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index dropped 15.08 points to settle at 3,688.94. The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 11.9, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
At the close, Access Financial climbed 8 cents and ended at $18.30 in trading 835 units, AMG Packaging fell 28 cents to $2.85 after a transfer of 1,065 stocks, CAC 2000 sank 24 cents to finish at $2.41 as investors traded just 21 shares. Caribbean Assurance Brokers popped 38 cents to end at $3.58 with a transfer of 9,023 stock units, Caribbean Cream rallied 29 cents in closing at $3.45 with 1,130 shares crossing the exchange, Dolphin Cove dropped 54 cents to close at $19.65 with investors swapping 30,240 stocks. Everything Fresh rose 21 cents to $2.40 after an exchange of 83 units, Express Catering lost 15 cents and ended at $3.30 with 58 stock units being traded, Fontana advanced 14 cents to end at $8 after an exchange of 22,013 shares. 
GWest Corporation gained 7 cents in closing at 97 cents with 415 stocks clearing the market, Jetcon Corporation slipped 12 cents to close at $1.05 with an exchange of 71 units, KLE Group sank 11 cents to finish at $1.09 in trading 10,041 stock units. Knutsford Express increased 29 cents and ended at $11.90 in an exchange of 4,519 shares, Main Event climbed 26 cents to $11.60 with 1,355 units crossing the market, Medical Disposables declined 7 cents to close at $2.30 with investors trading 100 stocks. Spur Tree Spices shed 11 cents in closing at $1.87 with 312,942 stock units changing hands and Tropical Battery skidded 7 cents to finish at $2.50 in an exchange of 57,443 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with trading of 4,082,483 shares valued $8,098,206 down from 8,063,040 stock units at $14,011,886 on Wednesday.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market Index skidded 24.37 points to finish at 3,704.02, with the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator flashing negative signals at the close.
Cargo Handlers shed 9 cents to end at $11.80 with traders dealing in 802 stock units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 10 cents and ended at $3.20 after an exchange of 94,169 shares, Caribbean Cream skidded 29 cents to close at $3.16 with investors trading 10,004 stock units. Dolphin Cove climbed 34 cents to $20.19 with an exchange of 21,388 stocks, Everything Fresh sank 20 cents to $2.19 after 6,702 units passed through the market, Fontana dipped 16 cents to close at $7.86 with a transfer of 52,624 shares. Honey Bun fell 13 cents to end at $8.25 with investors dealing in 7,335 stocks, Image Plus climbed 15 cents in to $1.68 in an exchange of 105,207 units, Iron Rock Insurance declined 33 cents to finish.
at $3.66 with 27,003 stock units changing hands. KLE Group rose 12 cents and ended at $1.20 in trading 8,299 shares and Tropical Battery rallied 7 cents to $2.57 after an exchange of 55,251 stock units.
The market closed with trading of 8,063,040 shares for $14,011,886 compared with 8,243,054 units at $22,444,796 on Tuesday.
Image Plus
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with trading of 8,243,054 shares for $22,444,796 compared with 4,540,755 units at $8,078,268 on Monday.
Elite Diagnostic dipped 9 cents in closing at $2.40 with 2,804 shares changing hands, Future Energy sank 10 cents to close at $3.50 with investors dealing in 139,537 units. Iron Rock Insurance rose 60 cents to $4 with 115,874 stocks crossing the exchange, Main Event rallied 29 cents to end at $11.59 with investors swapping 2 stock units, Medical Disposables increased 19 cents in closing at $2.39 after 363 shares passed through the market. MFS Capital Partners declined 12 cents and ended at 72 cents with 13,810 stock units changing hands and Regency Petroleum climbed 7 cents to close at $2.82 with investors trading 50,002 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with trading of 4,540,755 shares valued $8,078,268, up from 2,465,676 units at $4,887,449 on Friday.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 11.7, based on the last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
Jamaican Teas advanced 7 cents to close at $2.31 with a mere 10 units clearing the market, Knutsford Express dropped 11 cents to finish at $12.44 in an exchange of 5,963 stocks. Limners and Bards rose 25 cents to $1.50 with investors trading 37,990 shares, Lumber Depot fell 15 cents to end at $2.75 in an exchange of 264,220 stock units, Main Event climbed 30 cents in closing at $11.30 with investors dealing in 340 units. Medical Disposables dipped 23 cents to close at $2.20 after the trading of 2,097 stocks, MFS Capital Partners increased 14 cents to finish at 84 cents with 144,073 units crossing the exchange, Regency Petroleum sank 7 cents and ended at $2.75 with a transfer of 73,909 stocks and Tropical Battery slipped 14 cents to $2.46 after an exchange of 8,560 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market ended with 2,576,485 shares trading at $4,262,470 down from 9,854,162 units at $24,889,108 on Tuesday.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 10 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
Jetcon Corporation fell 5 cents to close at 85 cents in switching ownership of 500 stocks, Mailpac Group skidded 8 cents to finish at $2.07 after an exchange of 119,499 stock units. Main Event sank 50 cents to close at $12, with 552 shares crossing the market, Regency Petroleum popped 14 cents to finish at $2.40 with investors swapping 19,551 units, Spur Tree Spices slipped 5 cents and ended at $2.10 in an exchange of 8,170 stock units. Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 5 cents to close at $1.69 after investors ended trading 240 stock units and tTech lost 29 cents to end at $2.65 as investors exchanged 50 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed on Tuesday with trading of 9,854,162 stock units for $24,889,108 compared to 4,251,907 shares at $5,779,055 on Monday.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.4, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for financial years ending around August 2025.
Honey Bun fell 30 cents to $8.25 in trading 9,696 units, Indies Pharma skidded 30 cents to close at $2.30, with 158,642 stock units crossing the exchange, following the lifting of the suspension of trading, Iron Rock Insurance increased 12 cents to finish at $2.30 with traders dealing in just one stock with the company posting big gains in profit for the 2023 fiscal year and the first quarter to March. ISP Finance lost $5 and ended at $20, with 2,000 stocks clearing the market, JFP Ltd declined 10 cents in closing at $1.04 with an exchange of 2,402,260 units, Limners and Bards dipped 9 cents to end at $1.50 after investors ended trading 5,000 stock units. Main Event fell 20 cents in closing at $12.50 with a transfer of 30,021 shares and Regency Petroleum dropped 14 cents to $2.26, with 24,424 stocks changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
With the decline in the price of NCB Financial, the stock is so close to the TOP10 and is now peeping in but could be a struggle before moving sustainably upwards. The demand for the stock is weak currently and the price could be trading in the $40 region. Technical reading suggests a $45 price is not far-fetched before in finding a bottom.
Guardian Holdings moved up on the JSE TOP10 listing, with earnings per share revised from $71 to $92 helped by a fall in the price at the close of the week. Price gain for Access Financial resulted in it moving from the 5th spot last week out of the list this week and Caribbean Assurance Brokers moved into the listing, following price slippage during the week.
In the Junior Market IC TOP10 are 10 stocks, or 21 percent of the market, with PEs ranging from 15 to 20, averaging 18, well above the market’s average. The average PE for the top half of the market is 17, possibly the lowest fair value measure for stocks currently.
In Junior Market ICTOP10, Consolidated Barkeries rose 14 percent to close at $3.85, Caribbean Cream gained 13 percent to $3.75 and tTech rose 5 percent to $2.50 following a switch in ownership of the company. Access Financial fell 9 percent to $19.95 followed by One Great Studio, down 7 percent to 77 cents.
The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 312 percent by May 2025, based on 2024 forecasted earnings and providing better values than the Junior Market with the potential to achieve 207 percent over the same period.
ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.