Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Friday, with the Market Index rising 24.04 points to end at 3,984.23, just about wiping all of the current year’s loss, leaving 0.10 percent to be recovered, with the market closing June at the highest level since the start of February this year.
Trading ended with the volume of stocks traded declining 80 percent and the value 71 percent lower than on Thursday, after trading in 46 securities compared with 47 on Thursday and ended with 23 rising, 14 declining and nine closing unchanged.
Investors traded 23,247,331 shares at $60,143,836 versus 118,542,020 units at $209,049,547 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 505,377 shares at $1,307,475, compared with 2,522,171 stocks at $4,447,863 on Thursday, with the month to date, averaging 319,230 units at $854,456 compared to 309,922 stock units at $831,805 on the previous day. May closed with an average of 239,954 units at $648,811.
ONE on ONE Educational led trading with 5.91 million shares for 25.4 percent of total volume followed by Spur Tree Spices with 4.46 million units for 19.2 percent of the day’s trade, Regency Petroleum closed with 2.44 million units for 10.5 percent market share, Future Energy Source ended with 1.99 million units for 8.5 percent market share, Fosrich closed with 1.98 million units for 8.5 percent market share and Indies Pharma with 1.71 million units ended with 7.3 percent of the total volume.
At the close of trading, the Junior Market has virtually wiped all losses for the year to date.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.6. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed based on the last traded price and 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 ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial advanced 48 cents in closing at $25.98 with shareholders swapping 91,628 shares, CAC 2000 fell $1.47 to end at $5.60, with 270 stock units clearing the market, Cargo Handlers lost $2 to close at $19, with 18,871 stocks crossing the market, Dolphin Cove popped 79 cents and ended at $16.90, as 12,168 units passed through the market. Fontana gained 44 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $10.94 with an exchange of 127,982 stock units, Fosrich increased 10 cents to $2.30 as investors exchanged 1,975,029 units, 
GWest Corporation declined 10 cents in closing at 93 cents 4,088 shares changing hands, Indies Pharma rose 28 cents to $3.53 with an exchange of 1,708,274 stocks. Iron Rock Insurance rallied 20 cents to end at $2.50 with investors transferring 32,831 units, Jamaican Teas climbed 12 cents to close at $2.47 in an exchange of 688,299 stocks, JFP Ltd rose 10 cents to close at $1.80 in trading 803,665 shares, Knutsford Express climbed $1.09 to $11.90, with 32,063 stock units crossing the market. Lasco Distributors shed 13 cents in closing at $3.50 in an exchange of 103,906 stocks, Lasco Manufacturing dipped 37 cents to end at $4.52 after 16,800 stock units were traded, Limners and Bards gained 9 cents to end at $2.20 with a transfer of 53,521 shares, Main Event rallied 80 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $17 while exchanging 70,020 units. 
Medical Disposables increased $1.80 and ended at $6 with 20,000 units changing hands, ONE on ONE Educational advanced 12 cents to $1.22 with trading of 5,909,534 stock units, Regency Petroleum popped 32 cents to close at $2.92 with stakeholders exchanging 2,438,959 stocks and Spur Tree Spices climbed 15 cents to end at $2.55 in switching ownership of 4,461,610 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
JSE Main market climbs 4 in 5 days
Trading activity continued to deliver gains with the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ending higher on Thursday, for the fourth day in five, with the volume of stocks traded rising moderately but with a 9 percent higher value than on Wednesday, after investors traded 53 securities, down from 59 on Wednesday, with 18 rising, 16 declining and 19 ending unchanged.
A total of 22,306,090 shares were traded for $206,410,617 compared to 22,105,112 units at $190,093,496 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 398,323 shares at $3,685,904 compared with 374,663 shares at $3,221,924 on Wednesday and for the month to date, an average of 361,395 units at $5,431,838 compared with 359,563 units at $5,518,439 on the previous day. May ended with an average of 226,361 units at $1,362,447.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 12.75 million shares for 57.3 percent of total volume followed by Wigton Windfarm with 2.41 million units for 10.8 percent of the day’s trade, Supreme Ventures chipped in with 2.31 million units for 10.4 percent market share and Jamaica Broilers with 1.57 million units for 7.1 percent of total volume.
The All Jamaican Composite Index rose 710.07 points to close at 368,014.24, the JSE Main Index rallied 630.80 points to close at 330,388.98 and the JSE Financial Index gained 0.14 points to 72.92.
The PE Ratio, a formula used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 13.5 for the Main Market. The JSE Main and USD Market PE ratios are computed based on the last traded prices and earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with the financial year ending up to August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows nine stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Caribbean Cement climbed $7.18 in closing at $60.18 in switching ownership of 47,005 shares, Caribbean Producers lost $1.05 to close at $10.75 in trading 71,181 units, GraceKennedy rallied $1 to end at $78 with a transfer of 110,880 stocks, Guardian Holdings dipped $1 to $420, with 6,426 stock units crossing the market.
Kingston Wharvesadvanced $1 and ended at $30 after a transfer of 1,215 stock units, Massy Holdings fell $1 to end at $99 with investors exchanging 8,362 units, Mayberry Investments popped 80 cents in closing at $9 after 100,627 shares passed through the market, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy shed $10 in ending at $61 as investors exchanged 605 stocks. NCB Financial declined 88 cents to close at $66.10 with 85,211 stocks clearing the market, Pan Jamaica dropped $4.83 to $49.12 with shareholders swapping 45,432 stock units, Proven Investments declined 78 cents in closing at $25 while exchanging 47 units, Sagicor Group rose 49 cents to $50.50, with 26,001 shares crossing the market. Scotia Group gained 73 cents to $34.74 after an exchange of 122,644 stock units, Seprod dipped 40 cents to end at $75.10, with stakeholders exchanging 7,450 units, Supreme Ventures dropped 97 cents to close at $27.50 with investors transferring 2,313,937 stocks, Sygnus Credit Investments lost 42 cents to end at $12.65, with 353,391 shares changing hands.
In the preference segment, Eppley 7.50% preference share increased 61 cents and ended at $6.70 with an exchange of 83 shares, Jamaica Public Service 7% advanced $7.50 to $57.50 after just 2 units crossing the exchange and JMMB Group 7% preference share gained 39 cents in closing at $2.39 in an exchange of 5 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Junior Market jumps sharply on Thursday
Trading surged on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Thursday, as JFP Limited dominated trading with more than 102 million shares that sent the volume of stocks traded surging
939 percent and the value 228 percent higher than on Wednesday after trading took place in 47 securities compared with 43 on Wednesday and ended with 28 rising, seven declining and 12 closing unchanged.
Investors traded 118,542,020 shares for $209,049,547 up from 11,405,529 units at $63,776,052 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 2,522,171 shares at $4,447,863, compared to 265,245 shares at $1,483,164 on Wednesday with the month to date, averaging 309,922 units at $831,805 compared with 190,821 stock units at $637,126 on the previous day. May closed with an average of 239,954 units at $648,811 and exceeds the average up to Wednesday but below Thursday’s level with the jump in trading on Thursday.
JFP Ltd led trading with 102.22 million shares for 86.2 percent of total volume followed by ONE on ONE Educational with 4.86 million units for 4.1 percent of the day’s trade, Jetcon Corporation ended with 3.61 million units for 3 percent of shares traded, Fosrich closed with 1.51 million units for 1.3 percent market share and Dolla Financial with 1.18 million units for 1 percent of total volume.
At the close, the Junior Market Index rose 53.19 points to settle at 3,960.19 to be down 0.7 percent for the year to date and up 10.2 percent since this year’s low in mid-March.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.3. The PE ratios of Junior Market stocks are computed based on the last traded stock prices 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 three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial increased $3 to $25.50 in an exchange of 58,731 shares. Thursday’s takes place following a long period that the stock has struggled to move higher in price but has been trading in above average volumes since June 16, not seen for some time, excluding the last trading day of a month, with Thursday being the largest trade and follows just over 25,000 units on June 27, over 17,000 on June 26 and 43,654 on June 22 with three other days since the sixteen of June of more than 15,700 hares, this suggests something out of the ordinary can be expected. 
Blue Power rallied 75 cents to end at $3.05, with 43,155 stock units crossing the market, CAC 2000 advanced 43 cents to close at $7.07 in an exchange of 638 stocks, Cargo Handlers popped $1.99 in closing at $21 with 13 units clearing the market, Caribbean Cream climbed 20 cents to $4.70 after an exchange of 68,819 stocks, Consolidated Bakeries rose 9 cents and ended at $2.51, with 90,000 stock units changing hands, Express Catering gained 10 cents in closing at $5.50 with shareholders swapping 35,146 units, Future Energy Source rose 18 cents to $3.98 with a transfer of 336,638 shares, but only after sinking to a 52 weeks’ intraday low of $3.33. ISP Finance popped $2.04 to end at $22.04 while exchanging 806 units, Lasco Financial advanced 32 cents to close at $2.67 and closed with 402,641 shares changing hands, Lumber Depot gained 9 cents to close at $2.19 after trading 228,666 stock units. 
Main Event climbed 95 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $16.20 in switching ownership of 66,869 stocks, Medical Disposables increased 10 cents to $4.20, with 52,711 stock units crossing the market, MFS Capital Partners declined 9 cents and ended at $2.92 in trading 86,519 shares. Regency Petroleum rallied 11 cents to end at $2.60, with 556,398 stocks crossing the exchange, Stationery and Office Supplies rallied 11 cents to $23.50 as 95,854 units passed through the market and tTech gained 15 cents in closing at $2.25 after a transfer of 10 stocks.Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Junior Market hit by falling stocks
The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange dropped sharply on Tuesday, with 15 rising, 21 declining and 10 closing unchanged with the volume of stocks traded rising 23 percent and the value jumping 75 percent more than on Monday with trading in 46 securities compared with 45 on Monday, with the Junior Market Index dropping 51.89 points to end at 3,904.02, to be down 2.1 percent for the year to date.
Investors traded 7,980,472 shares for $32,399,094 up from 6,499,546 units at $18,510,251 on Monday.
Trading averaged 173,489 shares at $704,328 up from 144,434 units for $411,339 on Monday. The average trade for the month to date is 186,965 shares at $593,295 compared with 187,756 stock units at $586,780 on the previous day. May closed with an average of 239,954 units at $648,811.
Jetcon Corporation led trading with 1.58 million shares for 19.9 percent of total volume followed by Fosrich with 857,118 units for 10.7 percent of the day’s trade and ONE on ONE Educational with 624,896 units for 7.8 percent market share.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.2. 
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.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial climbed $2.80 to $25.30 with 25,006 shares clearing the market, Blue Power lost 35 cents to end at $2.30 after a transfer of 7,604 stock units, Cargo Handlers shed 50 cents to end at $21.50 with a transfer of 872 stocks, Caribbean Cream fell 79 cents to $3.91 and closed with 16 units changing hands. Consolidated Bakeries dropped 17 cents in closing at $2.25 with 67 units crossing the exchange, 
Dolphin Cove dipped 87 cents and ended at $16.10 with stakeholders exchanging 18,605 stock units, Fosrich rose 15 cents to end at $2.34 in an exchange of 857,118 stocks, Future Energy Source declined 11 cents in closing at $3.91 after an exchange of 229,536 shares. Honey Bun popped 10 cents to $6.65 as investors traded 2,966 stocks, Iron Rock Insurance increased 20 cents to close at $2.30 with a transfer of 1,000 units, Knutsford Express dipped 9 cents in closing at $11.90 with an exchange of 4,126 shares, Lasco Distributors rallied 18 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $3.58 with shareholders swapping 464,970 stock units. Lasco Manufacturing advanced 36 cents and ended at $4.88 in trading 81,749 units, Mailpac Group dropped 9 cents to close at $1.85, with 126,290 stocks crossing the market, 
Main Event gained 15 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $15.05 in trading 610,521 shares, Medical Disposables rose 57 cents to end at $4.82, with just one stock crossing the market and Stationery and Office Supplies declined $1.59 to $23.91 in switching ownership of 344,146 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Junior Market risers and losers shared honours
Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Monday, with the recent star Stationery and Office Supplies falling back sharply from the high of $35 it reached last week down to $25.50 as the volume of stocks traded declining 19 percent with a 39 percent lower value than Friday with 45 securities trading compared with 43 on Friday and ended with 18 rising, 18 declining and nine closing unchanged.
At the close, 6,499,546 shares were traded for $18,510,251, down from 8,041,831 units at $30,510,717 on Friday.
Trading averaged 144,434 shares at $411,339, compared with 187,019 shares at $709,552 on Friday with the month to date, averaging 187,756 units at $586,780 compared with 190,394 stock units at $597,463 on the previous day. Trading in May averaged 239,954 units at $648,811.
Image Plus Consultants led trading with 1.29 million shares for 19.9 percent of total volume followed by ONE on ONE Educational with 680,010 units for 10.5 percent of the day’s trade and Mailpac Group with 572,408 units for 8.8 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index popped 13.44 points to close at 3,955.91 and is now down less than one percent for the year to date and up 10 percent since the low in March and is fraction adrift of the 3,963.89 points reached on February 17, the previous high.
The PE Ratio a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.2. 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.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, AMG Packaging lost 37 cents in closing at $2.29 with a transfer of 1,275 shares, Cargo Handlers fell 9 cents to $22, with 4 stock units changing hands, Caribbean Assurance Brokers dropped 65 cents to end at $3.35 while exchanging 15,496 stocks. Caribbean Cream rallied 70 cents to end at $4.70 with an exchange of 11,619 units, 
Consolidated Bakeries gained 23 cents to close at $2.42 after 3,344 shares crossed the exchange, Dolphin Cove rose 97 cents in closing at $16.97 as 11,757 units passed through the market. Elite Diagnostic climbed 13 cents to $2.35 in an exchange of 208,580 stocks, GWest Corporation advanced 10 cents to close at $1.03 after 86 stock units changed hands, Honey Bun dipped 14 cents to end at $6.55 in switching ownership of 12,480 stocks. iCreate popped 14 cents and ended at $1.05 after a transfer of 389,514 stock units, Iron Rock Insurance increased 10 cents to end at $2.10 and closed with 2,954 units being trading, Knutsford Express climbed $1.16 to $11.99 with investors transferring 270 shares. Lasco Manufacturing declined 38 cents in closing at $4.52, with stakeholders exchanging 5,357 shares, Limners and Bards shed 9 cents to close at $2.11, with 3,794 stock units crossing the market, Main Event dipped 10 cents and ended at $14.90 in an exchange of 23,047 stocks. 
Medical Disposables popped 19 cents in closing at $4.25, with 4,596 units crossing the market, MFS Capital Partners dropped 15 cents to $2.85 as investors exchanged 17,000 shares and Stationery and Office Supplies fell $2.50 to $25.50 with shareholders swapping 188,272 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Carib Brokers gains 54% & drops ICTOP10
The Junior Market was buoyed by strong movement in shares of Stationery and Office Supplies following the announcement of a proposed stock split that turned out to be 9 for each outstanding share and following ICInsider.com report last week that the stock was a prime candidate for a stock split, the stock rated stock to watch in January, climbed 100 percent since the start of the year but pulled back on Friday following profit taking.
Elsewhere, Caribbean Assurance Brokers jumped 54 percent to close at $4 following the drying up of selling stocks being offered for sale. The stock dropped out of the ICTOP10 and is replaced by Dolla Financial. In the Main Market, Caribbean Cement dropped out of the TOP10 with a 3 percent rise to $50.90 and was replaced by Transjamaican following a fall in price from $2.39 to close the week at $2.24 after hitting a low for the week at $2.
The Junior Market reclaimed the 3,900 handle, following the reclaiming of the 3,800 at the end of the previous week and in the process is just one percent below the end of December last year and is close to retaking the 4,000 level, as technical indicators pointing to the market now at an early stage of a big rally in the second half of the year, following a 10 percent gain since the low for the year in March, suggesting a possible gain in excess of 30 percent for the year.
The Junior Market ended with 4 stocks rising and three declining during the week, with Caribbean Assurance Brokers the lead the stock, followed by One and One, that is up 8 percent to $1.12 and Caribbean Cream up 3% to $4, while iCreate dropped 24% to 91 cents and Consolidated Bakeries dropped 10% to end the week at $2.19. The Main Market had only moderate price movement with none exceeding 3%.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main MarketTOP 10 is 5.8, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 253 percent, by May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 15 most highly valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 98, with an average of 28 and 19 excluding the highest PE stocks, 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 compared with the market at 11.3. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PEs from 15 to 44, averaging 20 that are well above the average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently. Junior Market is projected to rise by 276 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation are important indicators of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
In the market generally, Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and in the process gradually reduce the supply of several stocks that are attractively priced as the market moves toward the summer months, the start of the stock market year.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. 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 are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 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 trading increased
Trading closed on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Friday, with the volume of stocks traded rising 37 percent and the value just 9 percent more than on Thursday following trading in 43 securities compared with 40 on Thursday and ended with 19 rising, 17 declining and seven closing unchanged.
Investors traded 8,041,831 shares for $30,510,717 compared with 5,875,457 units at $28,016,001 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 187,019 shares at $709,552, versus 146,886 shares at $700,400 on Thursday with the month to date, averaging 190,394 units at $597,463 compared to 190,602 stock units at $590,538 on the previous day. May closed with an average of 239,954 units at $648,811.
ONE on ONE Educational led trading with 2.95 million shares for 36.6 percent of total volume followed by iCreate with 927,345 units for 11.5 percent of the day’s trade and Fosrich with 756,741 units for 9.4 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index climbed 25.52 points to 3,942.47.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.3. 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.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close, Blue Power rose 56 cents to close at $2.65 after a transfer of 95,432 shares, Cargo Handlers popped 9 cents ended at $22.09 in an exchange of 1,914 units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers jumped $1 to 52 weeks’ high of $4 with trading of a moderate volume of 22,624 stocks. Caribbean Flavours increased 15 cents in closing at $1.35 in switching ownership of 40,974 stock units, Dolphin Cove gained 15 cents to end at $16 after an exchange of 22,547 shares, 
General Accident fell 25 cents to $5 after 2,501 units changed hands. GWest Corporation dipped 10 cents to end at 93 cents with an exchange of 51,347 stocks, Honey Bun shed 21 cents in closing at $6.69, with just 854 stock units crossing the market, iCreate lost 24 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of 91 cents as 927,345 units passed through the market. Indies Pharma rallied 9 cents and ended at $3.10 with shareholders swapping 13,685 stocks, Iron Rock Insurance declined 15 cents to close at $2 as investors exchanged 17 shares, ISP Finance climbed $5.09 to $25 after exchanging a mere 2 stock units. JFP Ltd popped 10 cents and ended at $1.65 with stakeholders exchanging 53,472 units, Knutsford Express dropped 17 cents to end at $10.83 with investors transferring 201 stock units, 
Lasco Manufacturing rallied 40 cents in closing at $4.90 after trading 200,915 shares. Main Event climbed 15 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $15 with 126,139 stocks clearing the market, MFS Capital Partners increased 20 cents to $3 with a transfer of 32,928 stock units. Paramount Trading shed 10 cents to $2.08, with 146,947 units crossing the exchange and Stationery and Office Supplies dipped $5.89 to close at $28 after an exchange of 491,029 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
SOS hits new high & pushed Junior Market higher
Stationery and Office Supplies boosted activity on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday with the price racing to another new record high of $34.98, as investors continued to respond aggressively to an announcement that directors would be considering a stock split and in the process pushed the price up 75 percent since Monday and just over 100 percent for the year to date, the move helped the Junior market advanced 25.03 points to 3,936.13.
Trading closed with a 15 percent rise in the volume of stocks traded, with 10 percent less value than on Tuesday after trading in 40 securities compared with 43 on Tuesday and ended with 12 rising, 17 declining and 11 closing unchanged.
A total of 10,079,171 shares were traded for $43,487,229 compared to 8,787,937 units at $48,253,320 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 251,979 shares at $1,087,181 compared to 204,371 stocks at $1,122,170 on Tuesday with the month to date, averaging 193,268 units at $583,839 compared with 189,456 stock shares at $551,155 on the previous day. May closed with an average of 239,954 units at $648,811.
Dolla Financial led trading with 2.77 million shares for 27.5 percent of total volume followed by 
Image Plus Consultants with 1.84 million units for 18.3 percent of the day’s trade and ONE on ONE Educational with 668,531 units for 6.6 percent market share.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11.1. 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.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows eight stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
At the close, Access Financial lost $1.20 in closing at $22 in an exchange of 15,750 shares, Blue Power shed 30 cents to close at $2.18 with 2,783 units changing hands, Cargo Handlers rallied $3.89 to end at $22.09 in trading 3,144 stock units, Caribbean Assurance Brokers gained 19 cents and ended at $2.69 with a transfer of 555,390 stocks, 
Caribbean Flavours popped 20 cents to $1.35 with investors trading 31,181 units, Dolla Financial dipped 14 cents in closing at $2.36 as shareholders swapped 2,774,569 stocks, Dolphin Cove rallied 28 cents to end at $15.28 and closed at 17,377 units, Express Catering rose 41 cents to $5.40 after investors exchanged 221 shares, Future Energy Source dipped 10 cents to close at $3.91, with stakeholders exchanging 174,638 stocks, iCreate rose 13 cents and ended at $1.20 after stakeholders trading 27,112 stock units, Indies Pharma fell 10 cents in closing at $3 as 352,201 shares passed through the market, Knutsford Express declined 80 cents to end at $11 12,605 units changing hands, Lasco Distributors dipped 17 cents to $3.21 crossing the market, with 72,561 stocks, Mailpac Group shed 10 cents to close at $1.85, with 256,349 units crossing the exchange, 
Medical Disposables dropped 19 cents to close at $4.06 after a transfer of 16,120 stock units, Spur Tree Spices fell 9 cents and ended at $2.33, with 50,188 shares clearing the market and Stationery and Office Supplies climbed $8.53 in closing at a record high of $34.98 in an exchange of 633,397 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated
SOS highlights Junior Market trading
Stationery and Office Supplies was the highlight of the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Tuesday with the price closing at a record high of $26.45 with more than 500,000 share trading and closed with bids at $26.45 to buy 220,709 shares and at $26 to buy 114,415 shares, in contrast, stocks offered at the close were light starting at $30.50. The sharp rally follows an announcement of a directors’ meeting on Wednesday to discuss a possible stock split.
Trading closed with the volume of stocks traded rising 53 percent, with an increase of 182 percent in value compared to Monday, following trading in 43 securities compared with 44 on Monday and ended with 14 rising, 18 declining and 11 closing unchanged.
Investors traded 8,787,937 shares for $48,253,320 up from 5,733,266 units at $17,140,162 on Monday.
Trading averaged 204,371 shares at $1,122,170, with 130,302 shares at $389,549 on Monday, with a month to date, average of 189,456 units at $551,155 compared to 188,336 stock units at $508,304 on the previous day. May closed with an average of 239,954 units at $648,811.
Image Plus Consultants led trading with 1.28 million shares for 14.6 percent of total volume followed by Dolphin Cove with 1.17 million units for 13.3 percent of the day’s trade and Fosrich with 935,005 units for 10.6 percent market share.
At the close, the Junior Market Index advanced 31.19 points to settle at 3,911.10 and reclaimed the 3,900 mark, the highest since Mid-February.
The PE Ratio, a measure of computing appropriate stock values, averages 11 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.
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, Cargo Handlers declined $3.80 to close at $18.20 in trading 275 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers fell 10 cents to end at $2.50 in an exchange of 97,168 stock units, Caribbean Cream dropped 17 cents to $4 with stakeholders exchanging 95,150 units.
Caribbean Flavours dipped 21 cents in closing at $1.15, with 111,166 stocks crossing the exchange, Dolla Financial shed 9 cents and ended at $2.50 as investors exchanged 481,548 stocks, Elite Diagnostic rose 27 cents to close at $2.30 with a transfer of 692 units. Express Catering lost 21 cents to close at $4.99, with 105,200 stock units crossing the market, Fosrich fell 23 cents to $2.30 after 935,005 shares were traded, Honey Bun rallied 46 cents and ended at $6.96 with 8,515 stocks clearing the market. iCreate lost 18 cents to end at $1.07 in switching ownership of 118,688 units, Iron Rock Insurance climbed 15 cents to $2.15 as 237 shares passed through the market, ISP Finance dipped $6.49 to $19.91 after an exchange of 5,211 stock units. JFP Ltd shed 11 cents and ended at $1.57 in an exchange of 930,469 units, Lasco Manufacturing advanced 10 cents to close at $4.50 with investors transferring 344 shares, 
Main Event increased 86 cents in closing at $14.75, with 55,905 stocks crossing the market, Regency Petroleum declined 20 cents to close at $2.60 while exchanging 705,529 stock units and Stationery and Office Supplies gained $6.45 in closing at a record high of $26.45 with shareholders swapping 523,811 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Kremi heads ICTOP10 after gaining 22%
The performance this past week in the Junior and the Main Market diverged significantly the Junior Market recorded gains in the week and put it back at early March levels this year while the main market declined further continuing negative performance since the beginning of June and is now back at August 2018 levels and is providing investors with a great opportunity to add some of these stocks to their early Christmas shopping at bargain prices.
The Junior Market has broken through the downward-sloping resistance line of the wedge. The Junior Market reclaimed the 3,800 handle last week and is close to retaking the 3,900 level shortly, with the market set for a big rally in the second half of the year a position supported by technical analysis of the market. The Main Market seems to be weighed down by concerns relating to inflation and interest rates, if so the reading is wrong as inflation is well under control and interest rates will start dropping before the year ends.
Against the background, the Junior Market recorded gains for six stocks during the week with iCreate jumping 26 percent to $1.20, Caribbean Cream moving up 22 percent to $3.89 and Edufocal putting on 6 percent to end the week at $1.89 hey worst performer was Iron Rock Insurance down 7 percent to $2 and General Accident fell 5 percent to $5, while One and One lost 3 percent to close the week at $1.04.
The Main Market had one price movement of note with Transjamaican rising 13 percent to close the week at $2.39. Declining are 138 Student Living down 11 percent to $4.60, Guardian Holdings, with a loss of 7 percent to $450.01 and Caribbean Producers lost 5 percent to end the week at $9.48.
Transjamaican moved out of the Main Market TOP10, with a gain of 27 percent since entering the TOP10 and 35 percent since it was added to Stocks to Watch at $1.77 in April, is replaced by Caribbean Cement, with projected earnings of $6.50 notwithstanding for the first quarter profit and in the Junior Market, Edufocal moved out while Everything Fresh returns after a brief absence to the TOP10 with the price having fallen to $1.50.
Transjamaican, although out of the top 10 has much more room to grow with the potential for an additional 200% increase in the stock price. A look at the order book for Transjamaican suggests that demand is likely to overwhelm supply over the next two to three weeks with a likely price target then of $3. Even then the potential dividend yield that could be 8 percent at that price could result in the price going higher.
Recent developments for some stocks – Lasco Distributors and Lasco Manufacturing increased dividends to 10 cents and 12 cents respectively, with both to be paid in July, while Stationery and Office Supplies hit a record high in the week at $24 but closed the week at $20 for a 17 percent gain for the year. The stock is now a prime candidate for a stock split. Earnings for Berger Paints were adjusted down to $1 per share for 2023.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 5.8, well below the market average of 13.1. The Main Market TOP10 is projected to have an average of 254 percent, to May 2024, based on 2023 forecasted earnings.
The 15 most highly valued Main Market stocks are priced at a PE of 15 to 98, with an average of 29 and 20 excluding the highest PE stocks, 23 for the top half and 18 excluding the stocks with the highest PEs.
The Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.8 compared with the market at 11.1. There are 11 stocks representing 23 percent of the market, with PE from 15 to 42, averaging 21 that are well above the average of the market. The top half of the market has an average PE of 16, possibly the lowest fair value for Junior Market stocks currently. Junior Market is projected to rise by 270 percent to May 2024.
The divergence between the average PE ratio of the Main and Junior Markets and the overall market valuation is an important indicator of the level of likely gains for ICTOP10 stocks.
In the market generally, Investors continue to nibble away at a number of stocks and in the process gradually reducing the supply of several stocks that are attractively priced as the market moves toward the summer months, the start of the stock market year.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. 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.
ICTOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 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.