Trading declined sharply below Wednesday’s levels on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Thursday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 68 percent and the value 80 percent lower than Wednesday after trading in 40 securities compared with 37 on Wednesday and ended with 14 rising, 17 declining and nine closing unchanged as two stocks traded at 52 weeks’ low.
Investors traded 3,047,673 shares for $4,213,805 down from 9,632,022 units at $21,100,384 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 76,192 shares at $105,345 compared with 260,325 units at $570,281 on Wednesday. Trading month to date, averages 156,308 units at $326,386 compared to 162,082 stock units at 342,317 on the previous day, down compared to November, with an average of 262,280 units at $587,545.
One Great Studio led trading with 1.46 million shares for 47.8 percent of total volume followed by the managerially troubled iCreate with 382,342 units for 12.5 percent of the day’s trade and EduFocal with 327,543 units for 10.7 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index shed 18.95 points to culminate at 3,682.39.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.1, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging popped 33 cents to finish trading at $2.64, with 8 stocks changing hands, Blue Power climbed 37 cents to close at $3.03 in trading 515 units, Caribbean Cream skidded 31 cents to $3 after a mere 1,229 shares changed hands. Derrimon Trading fell 10 cents and ended at $1.92 in an exchange of 30,654 stock units, Dolla Financial rose 9 cents to $2.59 with investors dealing in 45,503 shares, Dolphin Cove shed 15 cents in closing at $16.70 while exchanging 4,782 units. Elite Diagnostic advanced 8 cents to $1.73 after 1,172 stocks passed through the market, Fosrich gained 12 cents to close at $2.30 in switching ownership of 44,673 stock units, GWest Corporation sank 12 cents and ended at 87 cents with 229 shares clearing the market.
iCreate gained 9 cents to end at 59 cents with investors swapping 382,342 units, Iron Rock Insurance declined 44 cents to $2.06 in an exchange of 37 stocks, Jamaican Teas lost 14 cents to end at $2.31, with 22,552 stock units crossing the market. Knutsford Express dipped 20 cents in closing at $12.58 after an exchange of 19 shares, Lasco Manufacturing rallied 13 cents to close at $4.63 after 4,596 stocks passed through the market, Main Event popped 40 cents and ended at $13.90 with a transfer of 321 units. Medical Disposables dropped 42 cents to a 52 weeks’ low of $2.50 after an exchange of 713 stock units, One Great Studio sank 12 cents in closing at an all-time low of 85 cents with investors trading 1,457,855 shares, Regency Petroleum dipped 10 cents to close at $2.20 with an exchange of 17,413 stocks and Stationery and Office Supplies fell 20 cents to end at $1.63 after trading 31,513 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
JSE Main & USD markets gains, Juniors slip
The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange gained at the close of trading on Thursday, with the USD Market also closing higher as the Junior Market slipped to close out trading, with market activity ending with the volume and value of stocks traded falling below Wednesday’s levels on the penultimate day before the Christmas break for the market.
At the close of the market, Main Market stocks rallying were Jamaica Broilers with a gain of $1.49, Sagicor Group up $1 and Scotia Group closing at a new 52 weeks’ closing high of $37.50, after gaining 38 cents. Declining Main Market stocks include GraceKennedy down $2.17 and Barita Investments with a fall of 90 cents.
Rising Junior Market stocks include Main Event with a gain of 40 cents, Blue Power up 37 cents, and AMG Packaging gaining 33 cents. Declining stocks include Medical Disposables falling 42 cents followed by Caribbean Cream with a loss of 31 cents and Iron Rock Insurance down 44 cents.
At the close of trading, the JSE Combined Market Index rose 512.77 points to 328,594.68, the All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 571.53 points to wrap up trading at 351,983.29, the JSE Main Index popped 723.66 points to 315,985.82. The Junior Market Index dipped 18.95 points to wrap-up trading at 3,682.39 and the JSE USD Market Index gained 4.25 points to finish at 223.13.
Investors traded 10,449,490 shares, in all three markets, down from 13,761,322 units on Tuesday. The value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounts to $48.29 million compared with $65.97 million on Tuesday. The JSE USD market closed after just 6,525 shares were traded, for US$320 compared to 130,502 units at US$2,973 on Wednesday.
In the preference segment, Jamaica Public Service 7% rallied $1 to $41 and Productive Business Solutions 10.5 % preference share lost $30 to end at $1,060.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to determine the value of stocks, ended at 20.7 on 2022-23 earnings and 13.7 times those for 2023-24 at the close of trading. ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, allowing for easy comparisons between the same sector companies and the overall market. The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2023 and 2024 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items.
Investors need pertinent information to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and the more detailed daily report charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
Investors should use the chart to help make rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector and not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide to quickly assess the value of stocks based on this measure. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends paid or payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume pertaining to the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.
Big price movements for ICTOP10
The Main and Junior Markets closed the week slightly lower, resulting in big gains and losses in the Junior Market while movements in the Main Market were more moderate than the Junior Market stocks and surprisingly there is only one new entrant into the top 10 listings, this week.
Scotia Group released full year results with EPS of $5.54 and announced the payments of a dividend of 40 cents per share, with the price hitting a new one year high on Friday. The dividend suggests a minimum payment of $1.60 per share over the next twelve months. Based on historical norms of 40-50 percent payout of profits it should be a higher payout. With the release of 2023 full year results, ICInsider.com switched over to 2024 earnings, with EPS at $7.50. Buying interest picked up during the week. The stock trades at an extremely low PE of 4.8 times projected 2024 earnings and still only 6.5 times based on earnings for 2023. AMG Packaging trades at 6.5 times 2024 earnings with only 58,816 shares on offer at the close on Friday and so is Jamaica Teas, with offers now generally above $2.53, with buyers mostly at $2.30, some selling came in for Access Financial this week, Caribbean Cement also has limited stocks on offer and so does Seprod.
Three Junior Market stocks gained 9 to 21 percent and three ended with 10 to 20 percent losses, while the Main Market had two stocks with worthwhile gains of 9 and 13 percent and three with sizable losses of 6 to 11 percent.
The Main Market ICTOP10 ended with, Key Insurance popping 13 percent to $2.49 and Scotia Group up 9 percent, while General Accident declined 11 percent to $4.50, Palace Amusement down 8 percent to $1.19 and 
Caribbean Producers lost 6 percent to close at $8.50.
The Junior Market ended, with Iron Rock Insurance jumping 21 percent to $2.50, followed by Lasco Distributors and Lasco Manufacturing rising 9 percent each to $3.93 and $4.63 respectively. AMG Packaging dropped 20 percent to $2.30, Caribbean Cream and Jamaica Teas fell 10 percent to $3.31 and $2.30 respectively.
Tropical Battery dropped out of the Junior Market ICTOP10 and is replaced by Elite Diagnostic. There were no changes in the IC Main Market TOP10
Indications of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.1, well below the market average of 12.8. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 299 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings and now provides better values than the Junior Market with the potential to gain 204 percent over the same time frame.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 28 and 18 excluding the highest PE ratios and a PE of 23 for the top half and 16 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.8, over half of the market, with an average of 13.2. There are 13 stocks, or 27 percent of the market, with PEs from b>15 to 50, averaging 21, well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18, possibly the lowest fair value for stocks.
Of great import is that the averages of both markets are now converging around a PE of 20 for close to a third of the market, as the year is coming to a close and with more information available on the full year’s earnings.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. 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.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Gains for Junior Market as trading dips
Trading dropped on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Friday, but the market closed higher with the volume of stocks traded declining 74 percent, valued 68 percent less than Thursday following trading in 40 securities compared with 36 on Thursday and ended winning stocks outpacing those declining by more than two to one, with 19 rising and only nine declining and 12 closing unchanged.
Investors traded 4,960,272 shares for $11,287,117 down from 19,362,577 units at $34,892,741 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 124,007 shares at $282,178, compared with 537,849 units at $969,243 on Thursday with the month to date, averaging 165,266 units at $344,495 compared with 169,444 stock units at $350,806 on the previous day just a fraction of November with an average of 262,280 units at $587,545.
tTech led trading with 1.0 million shares for 20.2 percent of total volume followed by EduFocal with 758,218 units for 15.3 percent of the day’s trade and Stationery and Office Supplies with 539,060 units for 10.9 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index popped 34.37 points to end the day at 3,695.69.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.2, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial dipped 50 cents to $25 after a transfer of 69 stocks, Caribbean Cream rose 31 cents to $3.31 after 478 units were traded , Caribbean Flavours increased 50 cents and ended at $1.75 after an exchange of 1,300 shares. Derrimon Trading fell 14 cents to close at $1.86 with investors trading 28,536 stock units, Everything Fresh skidded 25 cents to end at $1.43 in an exchange of 72,000 shares, Fontana popped 9 cents to $10.39 with investors dealing in 93,349 units. Fosrich gained 10 cents to close at $2.30 while 238,818 stocks were exchanged, Future Energy lost 9 cents in closing at $3.45, with 215,746 stock units crossing the market, Honey Bun rose 10 cents and ended at $6.40 with an exchange of 213 shares. Indies Pharma advanced 15 cents to end at $3 with 8 stocks clearing the market,
Iron Rock Insurance rallied 44 cents to $2.50 as investors exchanged 20,043 units, Knutsford Express popped 26 cents to close at $11.36 in switching ownership of 337 stock units. Lasco Financial rallied 26 cents to $1.88 with investors dealing in 1,000 shares, Main Event declined 40 cents in closing at $13 with an exchange of 81,035 units, MFS Capital Partners rose 21 cents to end at $2.37, with 6,460 stocks changing hands. Regency Petroleum advanced 8 cents in closing at $2.14 after 98,934 stock units passed through the market, Tropical Battery shed 11 cents to end at $1.80 with a transfer of 248,942 shares and tTech increased 12 cents and ended at $2 with investors swapping 1,000,000 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Shakeup of ICTOP10
The Main and Junior Markets closed the week lower, resulting in three new entrants into the top 10 listings and some notable price movements, with the two markets without a clear direction, but the Main Market is showing signs of bottoming out with a big breakout not seeming far away.
Some emerging signs of potential moves higher are emerging for some stocks, with a sharp decline in the volume of some select stocks being offered for sale, setting the stage for sharp upward push in prices of some stocks in the coming weeks. Scotia Group is one such, as it approaches the release of full year results and an announcement on dividend, but buying interest is currently low keyed. The stock trades at an extremely low PE of 5.7 times projected 2023 earnings. AMG Packaging trades at 6.5 times 2024 earnings with only 58,816 shares on offer at the close on Friday and so is Jamaica Teas, with offers now generally above $2.53, with buyers mostly at $2.30, Access Financial is yet another, but buying is weak, Caribbean Cement also has limited stocks on offer.
Four Junior Market stocks gained 6 percent and over and two ended with big losses, while the Main Market had two stocks with worthwhile gains and two with moderate losses of 4 and 6 percent.
The Main Market ICTOP10 ended with Palace Amusement rising 15 percent to $1.29, Key Insurance popped 10 percent to $2.20, while Margaritaville declined 6 percent to $16 and Caribbean Producers lost 4 percent to close at $9.08.
The Junior Market ended with Caribbean Cream jumping 19 percent to $3.69, AMG Packaging climbed 12 percent to $2.89 while Jamaica Teas rose 7 percent to $2.55, Iron Rock Insurance jumping 20 percent to $2.65 and Honey Bun rose 6 percent to $6.44. The losers were Iron Rock Insurance down 22 percent to $2.06 and Lasco Distributors with a fall of 12 percent to 3.61.
Honey Bun and Elite Diagnostic dropped out of Junior Market ICTOP10 and are replaced by Tropical Battery and Stationery and Office Supplies. Sygnus Credit Investments drop out of the Main Market TOP10 with Pulse Investments coming in to replace it.
Indications of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5.3, well below the market average of 12.8. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 287 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings and now provides better values than the Junior Market.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 29 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 20 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.9, over half of the market, with an average of 13.2. There are 16 stocks, or 33 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 49, averaging 20 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 200 percent on or around May 2024.
Of great significance is that the averages of both markets are now converging around a PE of 20 for close to a third of the market, as the year is coming to a close and with more information available on the full year’s earnings.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. 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.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Junior Market dives on Tuesday
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange took another hit on Tuesday, following a moderate rise in the volume of stocks traded and an 86 percent surge in value over Monday’s level with trading of 44 securities compared with 40 on Monday and ended with prices of just nine rising, 25 declining and 10 closing unchanged, but the market closed with the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator flashing a positive signal for Wednesday opening.
Investors traded 7,063,052 shares for $22,550,480 compared with 6,466,809 units at $12,152,568 on Monday.
Trading averaged 160,524 shares at $512,511, compared with 161,670 units at $303,814 on Monday with the month to date, averaging 146,734 units at $370,261 compared with 139,244 stock units at $292,990 on the previous day. November closed with an average of 262,280 units at $587,545.
Spur Tree Spices led trading with 1.27 million shares for 18 percent of total volume followed by Jamaican Teas with 1.04 million units for 14.7 percent of the day’s trade and Regency Petroleum with 885,756 units for 12.5 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index skidded 35.17 points to end the day at 3,677.75.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 12.7, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial skidded $2.45 to $22.55 in trading a mere 10 stock units, AMG Packaging climbed 20 cents and ended at $2.45 after a transfer of 7,290 shares, Blue Power lost 43 cents to close at $2.65 while exchanging 199,701 units. Caribbean Cream rose 70 cents to end at $3.70 with investors dealing in a mere 284 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries dipped 24 cents in closing at $1.87 with 15 units crossing the market, Dolphin Cove fell 50 cents to $16.50 after an exchange of 34,411 stocks. Express Catering dropped 20 cents in closing at $3.80 after 94,844 shares passed through the market, Fontana shed 38 cents to end at $10.02 after an exchange of 310,305 stock units, 
Fosrich declined 31 cents and ended at $2.16, with 141,209 shares crossing the market. Future Energy lost 10 cents to close at $3.50 with traders dealing in 636,917 stocks, Indies Pharma rallied 37 cents to $2.93 with 11,500 units crossing the exchange, Iron Rock Insurance dropped 59 cents and ended at $2.06 with investors transferring 439 stock units. ISP Finance shed $7.50 in closing at $24, with 326 shares changing hands, JFP Ltd increased 12 cents to close at $1.53 with a transfer of 3,549 stock units, Lasco Distributors declined 30 cents to $3.80 with stakeholders exchanging 6,016 units. Limners and Bards popped 9 cents to $1.70 and closed after 11 stocks were traded, Mailpac Group fell 22 cents to close at $2.02 trading 88,613 units, 
Main Event skidded 50 cents and ended at $13 in switching ownership of 330,689 shares and Stationery and Office Supplies dipped 9 cents to end at $1.61 with shareholders swapping 39,301 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Main Market surge failed to ignite ICTOP10
The All Jamaica and the Junior Market indices closed the week higher than the previous week but with the Junior Market trading at its lowest since early June this year. The Main Market index which includes overseas companies, slipped back during the week. Stocks measured by the All Jamaica Index recorded gains of 4,565 points from the end of October in the past week and traded at a near two months high and have been flashing bullish signals with a sharp breakout looking very likely.
Some positives are visible in the market, with a sharp decline in the volume of some stocks being sold. Scotia Group is one such stock, as it approaches the release of full year results and an announcement on dividends, but buying interest is currently low keyed. The stock trades at an extremely low PE of 5.7 times projected 2023 earnings. AMG Packaging trades at 6.5 times 2024 earnings with a very limited supply of stocks on offer.
Even as the Main Market index rose in the past week, winners were hard to find the Main Market ICTOP10, with the highest riser up just 3 percent as Key Insurance dropped 20 percent to $2, followed by Palace Amusement down 14 percent to $1.12 and Sygnus Credit Investments declining 7 percent to $11.11.
The Junior Market has 6 stocks gaining, with Iron Rock Insurance jumping 20 percent to $2.65, Express Catering rallying 7 percent to $4 and AMG Packaging rising 4 percent to $2.59 while Caribbean Creamfell 16 percent to $3.10.
There was just one new addition to the ICTOP10 with a listing for the Junior Market with Access Financial dropping out of the list and replaced by Honey Bun, with projected earnings per share of 70 cents for the fiscal year ended September and $1 for 2024.
Indications of where stock prices could be by May 2024 can be seen from stocks with the highest values in the Main and Junior Markets.
The average PE for the JSE Main Market ICTOP 10 stands at 5, well below the market average of 12.9. The Main Market ICTOP10 is projected to gain an average of 302 percent by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings and now provides better values than the Junior Market.
In the Main Market ICTOP 10, a total of 15 of the most highly valued stocks representing 31 percent of the Main Market are priced at a PE of 15 to 108, with an average of 29 and 19 excluding the highest PE ratios, and a PE of 23 for the top half and 20 excluding the stocks with overweight values.
The PE of the Junior Market TOP10 sits at 6.9, over half of the market, with an average of 13.1. There are 15 stocks, or 30 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 49, averaging 20 that are well above the market’s average. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently, with the market projected to rise by 200 percent on or around May 2024.
Of import is that the averages of both markets are now converging around a PE of 20 for close to a third of the market, as the year is coming to a close and with more information available on the full year’s earnings.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market, but this is not always so. 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.
IC TOP10 stocks will likely deliver the best returns on or around May 2024 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Junior Market slips into December
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange started trading on the final month of 2023 on a bearish tone on Friday, with the volume of stocks traded plunging 77 percent and the value 74 percent compared with trading on Thursday following trading of 41 securities trading down from 46 on Thursday and ended with 14 rising, 20 declining and seven closing unchanged.
Investors traded 4,811,921 shares for $11,579,633 compared with 20,658,101 units at $44,997,586 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 117,364 shares at $282,430 compared to 449,089 units at $978,208 on Thursday compared with November with an average of 262,280 units at $587,545.
Regency Petroleum led trading with 1.06 million shares for 22.1 percent of total volume followed by EduFocal with 966,631 units for 20.1 percent of the day’s trade and One Great Studio with 583,653 units for 12.1 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index shed 14.05 points to settle at 3,757.04.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.1, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial skidded 50 cents to close at $25 with shareholders swapping 22,247 units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 54 cents to close at $2.24 in switching ownership of 37,806 stocks, Derrimon Trading declined 13 cents in closing at $2.04 with traders dealing in 30,011 shares. EduFocal popped 12 cents to end at $2 in an exchange of 966,631 stock units, Fontana shed 9 cents and ended at $10.30, with 232,820 shares crossing the market, Fosrich dropped 16 cents to $2.32 with an exchange of 46,718 units. Future Energy fell 9 cents to end at $3.61 with 126,617 stocks clearing the market, Honey Bun dipped 20 cents in closing at $6.05 with stakeholders exchanging 8,500 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance advanced 29 cents and ended at $2.65 in trading 21,000 shares. 
Jamaican Teas lost 10 cents to close at $2.38 after 115 stocks crossed the exchange, JFP Ltd declined 17 cents to $1.41 with investors trading 290,287 units, KLE Group rose 15 cents to $1.64 while exchanging 11 stock units. Knutsford Express gained 19 cents in closing at $12.94 after a transfer of 933 shares, Limners and Bards shed 14 cents to end at $1.60 as investors traded 12,021 stock units, Lumber Depot dropped 18 cents to close at $2.39 with a transfer of 37,032 stocks. MFS Capital Partners rallied 38 cents to $2.48 after exchanging 70,032 units, 
Regency Petroleum fell 24 cents to close at $2.25 with investors transferring 1,064,663 stocks and Spur Tree Spices skidded 19 cents to end at $2.30 after an exchange of 39,063 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Junior Market surged into month end
Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Thursday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 62 percent and the value 64 percent lower than Wednesday even as eight securities traded more than 1 million shares following activity in 46 securities trading similar to Wednesday and ended with prices of 27 rising, nine declining and 10 closing unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index advanced 76.62 points to lock up trading at 3,771.09 with the market closing 91.78 points lower than the October close and is down 5.4 percent for the year to date.
Investors traded 20,658,101 shares for $44,997,586 compared to 54,284,961 units at $125,759,136 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 449,089 shares at $978,208, compared with 1,180,108 units at $2,733,894 on Wednesday with the month to date, averaging 262,280 units at $587,545 versus 252,391 units at $566,865 on the previous day, and below October’s average of 361,392 units at $863,984.
ONE on ONE Educational led trading with 3.58 million shares for 17.3 percent of total volume followed by Regency Petroleum with 3.43 million units for 16.6 percent of the day’s trade, Spur Tree Spices ended with 3.15 million units for 15.3 percent of the day’s trade, Image Plus chipped in with 2.01 million units for 9.8 percent market share, Future Energy had an exchange of 1.91 million units for 9.2 percent of trading and Indies Pharma with 1.72 million units for 8.3 percent of total volume.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.4, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial rose $4.40 to end at $25.50, with just 503 shares crossing the market, Blue Power dipped 35 cents in closing at $2.75 with investors exchanging 1,004 shares, Dolphin Cove dropped $1.35 to $16.50 after 12,323 units were exchanged. Everything Fresh advanced 12 cents and ended at $1.68 in an exchange of 336,771 stocks, Fontana shed 20 cents to close at $10.39 after 81,697 units passed through the market, Fosrich popped 32 cents to $2.48 with an exchange of 245,736 shares. Future Energy climbed 26 cents to $3.70, with 1,909,568 stock units crossing the market, Honey Bun increased 20 cents to $6.25 after a transfer of 1,800 stocks, Indies Pharma gained 16 cents in closing at $3.06 while exchanging 1,724,802 units. 
ISP Finance rallied 50 cents to close at $31.50, with a mere 2 stocks clearing the market, JFP Ltd increased 18 cents to $1.58 after exchanging 1,011,951 stock units, Knutsford Express climbed 55 cents to close at $12.75 with investors dealing in 24,601 shares. Lasco Distributors popped 20 cents and ended at $4.10 with a transfer of 31,102 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing declined 30 cents to end at $4.20 after an exchange of 16,971 units, Lumber Depot advanced 18 cents in closing at $2.57 with shareholders swapping 18,272 stock units. Main Event fell 35 cents to $13.55 and closed after an exchange of 11,214 stock units, MFS Capital Partners rose 9 cents to close at $2.10 with traders dealing in 169,754 shares, Paramount Trading gained 22 cents in closing at $1.70 after switching 11,000 stocks. 
Regency Petroleum rallied 20 cents to end at $2.49 after 3,431,680 units changed hands, Spur Tree Spices rose 24 cents and ended at $2.49 as investors exchanged 3,151,885 stock units and tTech advanced 12 cents to $2.22 in trading 11 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Indies Pharma dominated Junior Market trading
Trading jumped sharply on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday, with Indies Pharma trading with 48 million shares and swelled the volume of stocks trading by 787 percent and the value 674 percent more than Tuesday following trading in 46 securities compared with 40 on Tuesday and ended with 19 rising, 20 declining and seven closing unchanged.
Investors traded 54,284,961 shares at $125,759,136 compared to 6,118,187 units at $16,249,732 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 1,180,108 shares at $2,733,894 compared to 152,955 units at $406,243 on Tuesday. Trading month to date, ended with an average of 252,391 units at $566,865 versus 200,539 stocks at $445,744 on the previous day, well below trading in October, with an average of 361,392 units at $863,984.
Indies Pharma led trading with 48.0 million shares for 88.4 percent of total volume followed by ONE on ONE Educational with 3.79 million units for 7 percent of the day’s trade and Dolla Financial with 507,139 units for 0.9 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index dipped 9.97 points to settle at 3,694.47.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.1, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial skidded $1.90 and ended at $21.10, with 5,000 stocks changing hands, AMG Packaging rose 37 cents to $2.52 with investors trading 24,289 units, CAC 2000 fell 50 cents to close at $4 with an exchange of 1,278 shares. Cargo Handlers gained 98 cents to end at $14.48, with 300 stock units crossing the market, EduFocal dropped 26 cents in closing at $1.85 in an exchange of 264,492 shares, Fontana popped 9 cents to $10.59 with investors dealing in 27,769 stocks. iCreate increased 11 cents in closing at 72 cents in an exchange of 167,516 units, Image Plus climbed 8 cents and ended at $1.99 with shareholders swapping 29,364 stock units, Indies Pharma shed 14 cents to end at $2.90 in trading 48,004,250 shares. Iron Rock Insurance advanced 32 cents to close at $2.37 with stakeholders exchanging 126 stock units, 
Jamaican Teas rallied 13 cents to $2.44 and closed with an exchange of 51,685 units, Knutsford Express rose $1.05 in closing at $12.20 after investors traded 1,254 stocks. Lasco Distributors lost 8 cents to end at $3.90 with a transfer of 11,870 shares, Lasco Manufacturing rallied 23 cents and ended at $4.50 while trading 1,009 stock units, Lumber Depot declined 22 cents to $2.39 after 102,843 stocks were traded. Mailpac Group popped 10 cents to $2.15 with an exchange of 30,116 units, Main Event increased 89 cents to close at $13.90 with 311 shares clearing the market, Medical Disposables dipped 12 cents to end at $2.90 after an exchange of 16,201 stock units. MFS Capital Partners fell 8 cents in closing at $2.01 with investors transferring 21,500 units, Paramount Trading shed 19 cents and ended at $1.48 in switching ownership of 25,028 stocks, 
Regency Petroleum climbed 8 cents to $2.29, with 392,399 units crossing the exchange and Spur Tree Spices gained 15 cents to close at $2.25 with traders dealing in 41,230 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.