The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market ended trading on Wednesday with the market recovering some of Tuesday’s losses, with an equal number of stocks rising and falling after investors exchanged 3 percent more shares than Tuesday and 33 percent less in value.
Eppley closed at a 52 weeks’ high on Wednesday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index rose 3,138.65 points to settle at 403,810.64, the Main Index carved out a gain of 2,872.53 points to settle at 368,546.40, the JSE Financial Index increased 0.60 points to settle at 97.15.
Trading ended with 43 securities changing hands compared to 40 securities on Tuesday and ended with the prices of 18 stocks rising, the prices of 18 stocks declining and seven remaining unchanged and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.5 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 22,689,448 shares for $201,190,246 compared to 15,897,876 units at $260,424,238 on Tuesday.
Transjamaican Highway led trading with 11.06 million shares for 48.8 percent of total volume followed by Sagicor Real Estate Fund with 5.38 million units for 23.7 percent of the day’s trade, QWI Investments with 1.55 million units for 6.8 percent market share and Wigton Windfarm ended with 1.17 million shares changing hands for 5 percent of total shares changing hands.
Trading ended with an average of 527,662 units changing hands for the day at $4,678,843 for each security, in comparison to an average of 397,447 shares at $6,510,606 on Tuesday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 451,449 units at $2,990,347 for each security, in contrast to 446,707 units at $2,885,266. Trading month to date compares exceeds, July with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Caribbean Cement climbed $2.99 to close at $44, with 205,670 shares passing through the market, Carreras lost 50 cents to end at $6.08 in exchanging 110,391 stock units, Eppley rose 99 cents to settle at a 52 weeks’ high of $22.99 with an exchange of 903 units. 
Eppley Caribbean Property Fund gained 50 cents to end at $50 after 6,411 units passed through the market, Grace Kennedy carved out a loss $1.48 to settle at $55.01, with 99,348 stocks passing through the market, Jamaica Broilers Group gained $1.30 to end at $24.80 in exchanging 6,351 stock units. Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 80 cents to settle at $19 after 23,485 stocks crossed the exchange, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy shed $5 to close at $150 in an exchange of 66 shares, NCB Financial Group gained $1.48 in closing at $139.98, trading 728,385 stocks. Proven Investments dropped by $1.90 in closing at $36.10, with 700 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Group gained $1.45 to close at $45.50, after 266,558 stocks passed through the market, Scotia Group jumped $4.50 to close at $49.50 with an exchange of 36,229 stock units and Seprod advanced by $2.99 in closing at $54 and exchanging 7,026 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index plunged 7,196.97 points to 400,671.99, the Main Index dived by 6,519.21 points to settle at 365,673.87 and the JSE Financial Index shed 1.97 points to end at 96.55.
Transjamaican Highway was the only other stock to exceed a million shares and ended with 2.12 million units changing hands.
Jamaica Producers Group lost 50 cents to close at $20 with investors swapping 2,147 shares, JMMB Group climbed 44 cents to $30.47 while exchanging 20,425 stock units. Key Insurance shed 70 cents to close at $7.69 and finished trading 75,312 stocks, NCB Financial Group carved out a loss 50 cents in closing at $138.50 while 207,362 stock units changed hands, 138 Student Living carved out a loss 32 cents to close at $5.50 after exchanging 330,439 shares. Proven Investments rose $2 to end at $38 in trading 37,208 stocks. Scotia Group lost 51 cents to end at $45, with 282,290 stock units passing through the market and Seprod declined $3.49 to settle at $51.01 in exchanging 290,603 shares.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index jumped by 4,343.31 points to 407,868.96, the JSE Main Index climbed 4,093.95 points to end at 372,193.08, the JSE Financial Index rose 2 points to settle at 98.52.
Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.3 million units or 10.8 percent of overall trade and QWI Investments with 1.2 million stock units for 10 percent of stocks trading.
Eppley jumped $3.18 to settle at 52 weeks’ high of $21 with an exchange of 40,535 units. Jamaica Broilers Group carved out a gain of $2 to close at $25 while trading 2,197 stocks, Jamaica Producers Group fell $2.48 to end at $20.50 with investors swapping 193,306 units, JMMB Group dropped by $1.27, in ending at $30.03 after 24,388 stocks passed through the market. Mayberry Jamaican Equities lost 46 cents in closing at $8.29, with 153 units changing hands, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy gained $2.99 to end at $155, after an exchange of 1,587 units, PanJam Investment declined $3 to end at $65 and cleared the market with 11,980 stock units. Proven Investments climbed $1.90 to $36 after trading 23,024 shares, Scotia Group carved out a loss $2.49 to end at $45.51 with investors switching ownership of 245,287 stock units and Wisynco Group fell 40 cents to close at $16.50 while exchanging 17,470 stocks.
The fall elevating it back into the Junior Market TOP 10, with Lasco Distributors dropping out, while there was no change to the main market list.
The targeted average PE ratio of the market is 20 based on the profits of companies reporting full year’s results, from now to the second quarter in 2021. Both the Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below this level, an indication of the potential gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 15 and the Junior Market 10.6, based on IC Insider.com’s projected 2020-21 earnings. 
The average PE ratio of the Junior Market has been slowly rising, with better profit opportunities than the Main Market and narrowing the gap. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere six at just 56 percent to the average of the overall Junior Market. The Main Market TOP 10 stocks trade at a PE of 8.1 or 54 percent of the PE of the overall market.
IC TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2021 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on possible gain for each company, taking into account the earnings and PE ratios for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Trading for the day ended with an average of 229,432 units changing hands for the day at $1,207,987 for each security, in comparison to an average of 441,246 shares at $1,282,200 on Thursday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 460,700 units at $2,591,884, in contrast to 479,152 units at $2,702,302. Trading month to date compares adversely to July with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
Jamaica Stock Exchange fell 35 cents to settle at $20.14 with 3,815 stock units traded, JMMB Group advanced 60 cents to close at $31.30 with investors switching ownership of 38,865 units, Kingston Properties finished 40 cents higher at $7.60 with 250 stock units changing hands. Kingston Wharves declined by 90 cents to end at $49.10 with an exchange of 3,134 units, NCB Financial Group increased by $1 to close at $139, with 30,821 stocks traded, PanJam Investment climbed $3.50 to end at $68 with investors transferring 932 stock units. Proven Investments carved out a loss of $1.75 to finish at $34.10 with 40,514 stock units changing hands, Scotia Group climbed $1.75 to settle at $48 in the exchange of 27,903 stock units, Seprod dropped 50 cents to end at $54.50 with 5,874 stock units traded and Wisynco Group carved out a loss of 50 cents to close at $16.90 with 48,649 stock units crossing the exchange.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dropped by 223.64 points to settle at 401,551.48, the Main Index declined by 383.35 points to end at 366,312.01, the JSE Financial Index lost 0.10 points to settle at 95.85.
Trading ended with an average of 441,246 units changing hands at $1,282,200 for each security, in comparison to an average of 871,770 shares at $7,874,805 at the close on Wednesday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 479,152 units at $2,702,302 for each security, in contrast to 482,123 units at $2,813,629. Trading month to date compares well, with a July average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
Key Insurance declined by 30 cents in closing at $8.09 with investors swapping 4,549 stock units, Kingston Wharves gained $1 to close at $50 after trading at 4,058 shares, Mayberry Investments rose 39 cents to end at $6 and crossing the exchange, with 424,095 stocks. Mayberry Jamaican Equities advanced 46 cents to $8.75, after exchanging 250 shares, Palace Amusement rose $198 to settle at $1750, with 33 units clearing the market, PanJam Investment fell 50 cents in closing at $64.50 in an exchange of 1,366 shares. Proven Investments increased $1.83 to settle at $35.85 in exchanging 3,100 stocks, Seprod carved out a gain of 85 cents to end at $55, after 9,670 shares passed through the market and Wisynco Group increased 85 cents to end at $17.40 in exchanging 9,404 stock units.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index lost 1,637.5 points to settle at 401,775.12, the Main Index lost 1,462.96 points to end at 366,695.36, the JSE Financial Index shed 0.01 point to close at 95.95.
Also trading over a million units are Pulse Investments with 1.55 million shares and Sagicor Select Financial Fund 1.25 million units.
Kingston Properties gained $1.04 to end at $7.20 in an exchange of174 stocks, Kingston Wharves dropped by $5 to close at $49 changing hands 600 units, NCB Financial Group increased $7 to close at $138 after exchanging 98,898 shares. 138 Student Living declined by $1.18 ending at $5.80 after exchanging 325 units, PanJam Investment fell $7 in ending at $65 and exchanging 205 stock units, Proven Investments lost $1.92 to end at $34.02, with 200 stock units changing hands, Scotia Group increased 50 cents to settle at $46.50 with investors swapping 1,500 units. Seprod lost 85 cents to close at $54.15 with an exchange of 325 units and Wisynco Group dropped by 70 cents in closing at $16.55 after exchanging 50,260 stock units.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index lost 1,959.50 points to settle at 403,412.62, the Main Index shed 1,852.03 points to close at 368,158.32 and the JSE Financial Index dipped 0.13 points to end at 95.96.
Trading month to date compares well, with July that ended with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
Mayberry Investments advanced by 75 cents in closing at $5.85, with 36,930 units passing through the market, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy lost $10.99 to close at $152.01 after exchanging 123 stock units, NCB Financial Group declined by $7.50 to close at $131 and finishing with 199,286 stock units crossing the exchange. Palace Amusement rose 50 cents to close at $1,552 after clearing the market with 19 units, PanJam Investment climbed $2 to close at $72 with investors swapping 3,804 stocks, Proven Investments rose $2.04 to close at $35.94 and finishing trading of 18,376 shares. Salada Foods carved out a gain of $1 to settle at $29 with investors swapping 50 units, Scotia Group rose $1 to end at $46, with 1,660 stock units changing hands, Seprod carved out a gain of $1 to settle at $55 in trading 16,225 stock units. Stanley Motta fell 33 cents in finishing at $4.80 trading 1,000 stocks and Sygnus Credit Investments lost 39 cents to end at $15.50, with 22,258 shares clearing the market.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows one stock ended with the bid higher than the last selling price and three with lower offers.
Mayberry Jamaican Equities lost 65 cents to end at $8.10 with an exchange of 7,945 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy climbed $11 to $163 in trading just one share, Palace Amusement dropped $138.50 to $1,551.50, with nine units crossing the market. PanJam Investment lost $2 to end at $70 trading 3,160 units, Portland JSX advanced by 38 cents to close at $7.88 with an exchange of 9,700 stocks, Salada Foods rose $3 to $28 in trading 13,594 stock units. Scotia Group gained 95 cents in ending at $45 while exchanging 11,930 stock units and Seprod lost 99 cents to end at $54 and crossing the exchange with 26,126 stocks.
This week’s focus: 138 Students Living reported a 44 percent increase in revenues to hit $334 million from $223 million in the June 2019 quarter and a 60 percent rise in the nine months to $1.09 billion. The company moved from a loss of $17 million in the 2019 third quarter to a profit of $132 million in 2020 and from a loss of $60 million in the nine months to June, to a profit of $402 million. Operating cost fell in both periods compared with the 2019 cost. The big problem is that the company continues the extremely poor practice of not showing operating and administrative expenses separately, making it impossible to see what gross margins are. The significant increase in profit is due to claims made on the University going back to 2019, which are booked in the current year that distorts earnings from ongoing operations. 
While earnings per share for the quarter is an attractive 32 cents and year to date 97 cents. Earnings from ongoing operations suggest that the full year’s results should be in the order of 40 cents after a regular tax charge.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 278 percent, and 152 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2020-21 earnings, an indication of potentially more significant gains in the Junior Market than in the Main Market.