Many Jamaicans have been paying their JPS bills through the MYJPS web portal for years, but the company does not have the decency to advise persons making payments by that method that they are making changes to the system.
In August, the site was not operational for days, but JPS still charged persons using that system, late fee, although it was not the customers’ fault. In September, the site was operational, but now the site is gone. A call to JPS confirms that they have migrated to a new system; as such, the old information will have to be inputted allover. This is awful customer service.
This is not the approach that the company should take. Clearly, the customers are not important, if they were, they would have been informed and efforts would have been taken to migrate to information over to the new system.
JPS slackness
Wigton pulls 11,772 new investors
Popular new stock issues have a way of electrifying stock markets and empower new stock market investors to increase their wealth.
It happen when National Commercial Bank went public in 1987 and again with the Wigton IPO.
“While the overall number of applications was 31,200, we are pleased to report that 11,772 or 38 percent are new investors to the market. This represents an increase in the number of account holders in the JCSD of 7.6 percent,” Marlene Street Forrest managing Director of the Jamaica Stock Exchange stated in addressing the observers at the listing ceremony of Wigton Windfarm listing on Wednesday.
Street Forrest went on to say, over 64 percent of those who invested were under 50 years of age with approximately 50 percent under 40 years old.” According to Street Forrest, females comprised 56 percent of the applicants for shares compared to 44 percent males. “The average spend for new investors was approximately $124,000 with the offer oversubscribed by 158.8 percent.”
Wigton stock could double soon.
Wigton is the largest IPO the list on the JSE since the listing of NCB, Telecommunication of Jamaica in the latter part of 1980s. In recent times, it is ahead of Wisynco Group with 7,769 applicants. “We have made tremendous strides as Wigton with total applications of 31,200 and four times the size of that offer has taken 21 days from the close of the offer to listing today” Street Fporrest stated that,
Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, stated that he wanted not only for Jamaicans to own assets but to share in the profitability of the company and this was achieved with the Wigton issue. He noted also that shares the company own in Jamaica Public Service and Jamaica Mortgage Bank will be divested in the short to medium term.
The stock closed with the price rising by a maximum of 30 percent at 65 cents trading 8,351,000 but ended with the bid at 66 cents which will allow it to trade as high as 85 cents on Friday.
The Lab, coming to a broker near you
NCB Capital Markets is readying a number of new public share issues to come to market by the summer this year.
Numbered amongst them are, The Lab that styles itself as a fully integrated 100 percent Jamaican born and bred advertising agency with global reach and an island swagger. “We are a strategic, creative, passionate solutions oriented and no nonsense group with a heavy emphasis on getting stuff done.” Kimala Bennett is the company’s Managing Director. Clients include National Commercial Bank, JPS, Wendy’s, Dominos, Supreme Ventures, Wray and Nephew, Grace Kennedy, Caribbean Broiler and Digicel. Persons in the know say this is one of those IPOs to plan for, it unique and profitable. QWI Investments is another that NCB Capital Markets is readying to take to the Jamaica Stock Exchange main market by early summer.
Kimala Bennett, Managing Director of The Lab.
Another that will be coming to market is Sagicor Select Funds Limited an Exchange Traded Fund. According to a note in the Sagicor Group audited financial statements, “It is the intention of the company to apply to the Board of the Jamaica Stock Exchange for admission of the shares to trading on the main market if subscriptions of at least $5 billion are raised.”
The above will come on top of the current public offer of Wigton Windfarm that opens next week to raise $5.5 billion, earmarked to be paid over to the government after expenses associated with the offer.
Early Xmas present for Jamaicans
Imports of fuel fell in 2016
The price of West Texas Crude oil is now down to 55.73 per barrel for the first time in almost a year. The price was at US$55.33 at the start of November last year and started to climb sharply after December to hit US$71 by mid-May this year and just over US$76.40 at the beginning of October before it started a steep decent to today’s level. The technical chart suggest that it could go lower still with excess supplies on the world market and slowing demand.
The cut in price has several implications for Jamaica that is a big importer of the product. It could mean savings in
Foreign exchange around US$40 million per month at the current price. It will ease consumers cost as prices of petrol and electricity fall, but government will collect less taxes from petrol and GCT from JPS bills.The fall also has implications for Bank of Jamaica with their inflation targeting, pitched extremely high originally at more than 4 percent and revised recently down to 3.5 percent on the low end for the fiscal year to March 2019. Those targets seem off as the fall in the price of oil coupled with the sharp revaluation of the local dollar is set to push the country through another round of deflation once more.
Main market pulls back on Wednesday
The JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 2,335.17 points to close at 319,134.35 on Wednesday as the JSE Index declined by 2,127.60 points to close at 290,767.49 and the JSE US dollar Index rose 0.43 points to 185.70.
Trading on the Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed with 22 securities changing hands, 10 advanced, 6 declined and 4 traded firm with 1 rising in the US dollar market. A total of 2,932,638 units valued at $60,248,652 traded compared to 7,565,517 units valued at $85,572,923 on Tuesday.
Trading ended with an average of 133,302 units for an average of $2,738,575 in contrast to 328,936 units for an average of $3,720,562 on Tuesday.
In contrast, October closed with average of 1,185,251 units valued at $16,528,582 for each security traded.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the main and US dollar market shows 7 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
In the main activity, Berger Paints concluded trading with a loss of 2 cents at $16, with 6,952 shares, Cable & Wireless ended 3 cents higher at $1.10, with 518,300 units, Caribbean Cement ended trading with a loss of $4.59 to $31.51, with 22,377 units, Carreras concluded trading 10 cents higher at $11.50, with 108,200 stock units, Grace Kennedy ended trading $2 higher at $42, with 110,784 units, Jamaica Broilers traded at $18.60, with 32,449 shares, Jamaica Producers finished with a loss of 10 cents at $15.90, with 560 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange finished with a loss of 14 cents at $6.76, with 18,180 stock units, 
JMMB Group traded $1.95 higher to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $29.70, with 11,000 units, Mayberry Investments concluded trading at $4.30, with 4,000 shares, NCB Financial Group lost 99 cents and ended at $106.01, with 317,087 shares, 138 Student Living ended trading 10 cents higher at $5.50, with 1,400,000 stock units, PanJam Investment settled 40 cents higher at $42, with 173,919 stock units, Pulse Investments settled with a loss of 1 cent at $1.96, with 6,500 shares, Radio Jamaica settled at $1.15, with 21,330 units, Sagicor Group concluded trading 5 cents higher at $38.05, with 57,923 units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund ended trading 6 cents higher at $14.20, with 6,544 shares, Scotia Group closed 1 cent higher at $50.51, with 4,000 units and Supreme Ventures finished at $11.80, with 42,564 shares. In the main market preference segment, Jamaica Money Market Brokers traded at $1.85, with 67,869 units, JMMB Group ended at $1.15, with 2,000 stock units and in the US dollar market Productivity Business Solutions traded 598 units and rose 0.50 cent to 58 US cents.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
8 stocks rise 8 fall
The main market closed with 8 securities rising, 8 falling and 7 traded firm with 3,975,709 units valued at $69,965,883 compared to 10,920,273 units valued at $178,163,037 on Tuesday.
In the main activity, Berger Paints finished trading at $16, with 75,396 stock units, Cable & Wireless lost 8 cents at $1.01, with 213,894 shares trading, Caribbean Cement ended 41 cents higher at $29.01, with 11,923 units, Carreras concluded trading at $11.50, with 749,555 stock units, Grace Kennedy finished trading with a loss of 24 cents at $42.76, with 18,410 shares. Jamaica Broilers finished trading at $18, with 318,870 units changing hands, Jamaica Producers settled with a loss of 40 cents at $15.60, in exchanging 24,091 shares, 
Jamaica Stock Exchange ended with a loss of 3 cents at $6.97, with 220 units, JMMB Group ended 60 cents higher at $27.60, with 157,825 stock units, Kingston Wharves settled $1.49 higher at $32.99, with 1,950 shares trading. Mayberry Investments concluded trading at $4.20, with 20,194 stock units, 1834 Investments finished at $1.40, with 2,079 units, PanJam Investment settled $1.50 higher at $41.50, with 285,310 units, Portland JSX ended trading at $9.15, with 2,000 shares, Pulse Investments concluded trading 1 cent higher at $1.61, with 47,439 units. 
Radio Jamaica ended with a loss of 1 cent at $1.14, with 36,167 shares trading, Sagicor Group finished with a loss of $1.99 at $38, with 33,719 stock units, Sagicor Real Estate Fund concluded trading 35 cents higher at $14.50, with 1,209 units, Scotia Group finished trading $1 higher at $52, with 478,019 shares, Seprod finished trading with a loss of $1.25 at $28.75 as 626 stock units traded. Supreme Ventures rose 1 cent and concluded trading at $11.99, with 366,286 shares. In the main market preference segment, JMMB Group 7.5% settled at $1.11, with 1,087,990 units In the US dollar market segment, Proven Investments closed with 11,330 units trading at 23.5 US cents.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
13 stock prices rose on Tuesday
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange continues its bullish mood as trading closed with the 8 consecutive record on Tuesday, with the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index climbing 1,582.36 points to a record 316,696.32 and the JSE Index advancing 1,441.71 points to a record 288,546.16.
In the main activity, NCB Financial climbed back by $4 to close at $107 with 72,595 trading and Productivity Business traded 400 preference shares for a gain of $5 to close at a record high $105.
Berger Paints jumped 97 cents to close at $16, with 263,833 shares, this compares with the price of $10.88 that company’s majority shareholder offered, to buy out the minority shares and the company’s directors recommended as a fair value. Cable & Wireless traded 2 cents higher at $1.09, with 124,962 units, Caribbean Cement ended 50 cents higher at $28.60, with 82,419 shares, Carreras concluded trading 1 cent higher at $11.50, with 505,010 shares, 
Grace Kennedy settled 20 cents higher at $43, with 3,036 stock units, Jamaica Broilers ended with a loss of 49 cents at $18, after trading 13,309 units, Jamaica Producers finished at $16, with 5,905 stock units. Jamaica Stock Exchange traded 30 cents higher at $7, with 12,934 shares, JMMB Group closed with a loss of 50 cents at $27, trading 264,989 units, Kingston Wharves ended at $31.50, with 8,255 shares, Mayberry Investments closed with a loss of 40 cents at $4.20, with 73,720 stock units trading, 
138 Student Living ended trading 9,581 shares at $5.40. PanJam Investment settled with a loss of $1.99 at $40, exchanging 925 units, Portland JSX gained 15 cents to end at $9.15, with 1,800 stock units, Pulse Investments concluded trading with a loss of 40 cents at $1.60, with 2,750 shares changing hands, Radio Jamaica settled at $1.15, with 50,837 stock units, Sagicor Group jumped 99 cents higher to $39.99, with 18,676 shares. Sagicor Real Estate Fund settled 15 cents higher at $14.15, with 580,923 stock units, Scotia Group closed 50 cents higher at $51, with 2,453,400 units trading, Seprod closed at $30, with 38,390 shares and Supreme Ventures finished 9 cents higher at $11.99, with 763,256 stock units. In the main market preference segment, JMMB Group finished trading with a loss of 1 cent at $1.10, with 5,568,368 units.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
Banks push JSE to new high – Friday
Stocks surged higher, at the close of trading on the main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday with the market ending at record closing levels as JMMB Group NCB Financial and Scotia Group record strong gains, pushing the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index to a record close of 300,363.16.
Trading on the main market ended with 22 securities changing hands, 7 advanced, 6 declined and 11 traded firm with 4,504,312 units valued at $68,391,852 compared to 94,545,441 units valued at $1,119,081,050 on Thursday. In the US dollar market 425,898 units traded for a value of US$102,239 for two securities.
In market activity, volumes are those trades for the day and the closing prices are those at which the last trade took place. At the close on market activity, Barita Investments ended trading with a loss of $1 at $8, with 40,452 stock units trading, Cable & Wireless finished at $1.10, with 42,361 units, Caribbean Cement settled 54 cents higher at $26.55, with 3,000 shares, Carreras closed at $12, after 462,635 stock units changed hands, Grace Kennedy closed with a loss of 5 cents at $42.75, with 12,005 shares. Jamaica Broilers ended with a loss of 5 cents at $17.95, with 1,858 units, Jamaica Producers ended trading at $16, with 2,278 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange concluded trading $1.20 higher at $7.20, with 1,064,940 shares switching owners, JMMB Group finished $3 higher at $26, after trading 21,667 units, Mayberry Investments ended trading with a loss of 40 cents at $4.10, with 15,378 shares. PanJam Investment ended with a loss of $3.48 to $38.52, with 9,732 units, 
Portland JSX ended trading after falling 50 cents to an all-time low of $8.50, with 50,000 stock units after the company reported a loss for the six months to August of US$221,251. Radio Jamaica settled at $1.15, trading 10,100 shares, Sagicor Group traded with a loss of $1.49 cents at $38.51, with 7,700 units changing hands, Sagicor Real Estate Fund finished trading 4 cents higher at $13.25, with 19,700 stock units, after it traded at an all-time high of $15. Salada Foods closed at $8.50, with 350,000 shares, Scotia Group ended $3.08 higher at $50.98, with 414,399 stock units, Seprod traded 339 units at $30 and Supreme Ventures finished 37 cents higher at $11.85, with 130,790 shares.
In the main market preference segment, Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.5%, ended trading 700,000 shares at $2 and JMMB Group 7.5% ended 1 cent higher at $1.15, with 870,000 stock units changing hands.
In the US dollar market segment, Productivity Business traded 5,898 shares at 57.5 US cents and Proven Investments closed with 420,000 units trading at 23.5 US cents.
Big run for Jamaican stocks coming
JSE Main market showing next major resistance around the 360,000 point level on the al Jamaica Index
The current state of the Jamaican stock market in one of contrast with the main market hitting 5 days of record close and with gains of 40 percent for the year to date and Junior Market that was up 31 percent in May is now up just 14 percent.
With stability present in the forex market for the Jamaican dollar, lower interest rates being paid on money market funds and with business confidence at record high levels, funds are now moving into the main market stocks with less interest being shown in the Junior Market.
Prices in the US dollar market have come off, after the index was up 63 percent at 268.73 points in February, up from 164.50 at the start of the year, but it is only up 12 percent now with the index at 184.86 points at the close of trading on Friday.
Jamaica Main market stocks itching to break out of channel that stretches back to 2014
The Junior Market was driven up by excessive buying that drove a number of the stocks to excessive valuations which the market has been correcting for, resulting in the sharp pull back from the all-time high, even then there are some that are still overvalued based on the average valuation of other stocks. The market still has several undervalued stocks but the focus on the bigger and more liquid main market is sucking some energy from the junior ones.
Based on estimated 2017 earnings, the average PE of the junior and main markets are just over 13 times earnings. The main market has more than half of the market trading below this level. Included in the list are Berger Paints with a PE of just 5, Caribbean Cement at 6, Jamaica Broilers 7, JMMB Group at 8, Grace Kennedy, NCB Financial and Sagicor Group at 10. The market has Jamaica Producers selling at 32 times 2017 earnings and Kingston Wharves at 27 times earnings with Kingston Properties at a rich 36 times and are clearly overvalued currently. Jamaica Stock Exchange and 138 Student Living at 22 are well ahead of the market average.
Junior Market under pressure, testing support around 2,900 points.
In the Junior Market Medical Disposables is priced at 6 times earnings, General Accident 6, Caribbean Producers 7, Stationery and Office Supplies, Caribbean Cream and Main Event at 10. Just under half of Junior Market stocks are trading blow the market average with about 25 percent well above the average.
Technical reading| The main market broke through major resistance for the second time since September at 290,000 points, that has its genesis in 1992 and connecting in 2005. The market faces some short term resistance around 300,000 points which should be broken through before long ahead of moving to the next sort term resistance around 360,000 points with 505,000 on the all Jamaica Index, the next big stop. The market has been trading in a distinct upward sloping channel from mid-2014 until now and seems set to break out and move higher.
The Junior Market chart is a big contrast to that of the main market.
Wigton Wind farm should list on the JSE main market in early 2017 with a large capitalization
While the latter is clearly heading higher with new highs being created, the Junior Market index is flashing negative signals. The market has formed a head and shoulder pattern which is a negative signal and the short term 45 days moving average has broken through both the medium term 200 days moving average and longer term moving averages. The market has broken through the channel that it has been trading in since late 2015. There appear to be support around the 2,900 points level but it could go down to 2,800 points where the next support is and it will left to be seen 2,900 points will be the floor ahead of third quarter results that could change the course of the movement.
With just over 2 months for the year to end investors should start to have an eye open for major factors that could make big differences to earnings in 2018 when making investment assessment now. Some of these are, more reduction in interest rates, continued strong foreign exchange growth, low inflation, increased construction activity, increased activity in the tourism sector and of course the potential for several new listings to come to market between now and then. IC Insider.com is aware of 8 such potential listings. The list include, Wigton Wind Farm, Jamaica Public Service as a result of Government of Jamaica’s planned sale of its 20 percent share in the company, Neveast Stationery, KIW International, a relatively new business in Montego Bay and a large manufacturing business, operating out of St Catherine.
Supreme Ventures hits new high – Monday
Supreme Ventures closed at a new all-time high of $9.
Stocks rose modestly on the Jamaica Stock Exchange leading the market indices rising around 100 point continuing the much bigger rise on Friday even as Supreme Ventures closed at an all-time high of $9, after climbing 45 cents in trading 12,960 shares.
Investors were responding to strong increase in profit for the six months to June, moving from $649 million to $918 million.
The All Jamaica Composite Index advanced 101.60 points to close at 276,135.72, the JSE Market Index gained 92.57 points to 251,590.92 and the JSE US dollar market index declined 6.86 points to 178.50.
At the close of trading, 26 securities changed hands in the main market with 3 trading in the US dollar market, leading to 10 stocks advancing and 10 declining. The main market ended with 2,163,104 units valued at $46,639,859 changing hands compared to 7,943,772 units valued at $101,876,271 at the close on Friday. Trading in the US dollar market accounted for 6,508 units valued at US$1,904 bringing the total of all trades to J$46,883,517.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and US dollar markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading was 7 to 1 with 7 stocks closed with bids higher than their last selling prices and 1 with a lower offer.
The main market ended trading with an average of 83,196 units valued at $1,793,841 for each security traded compared to an average of 294,214 units valued at $3,773,195. The average volume and value for the month to date ended at 181,752 units with an average value of $3,695,704 compared with an average of 187,965 units with an average value of $3,854,192 on the previous trading day. The average volume and value for July ended at 160,668 units with an average value of $2,691,438.
At the close of the market, the last traded prices and the volume of securities changing hands are: Barita Investments with a loss of 35 cents, to end at $11.25 with 767 shares, Berger Paints closing $2.45 higher to $16.95 with 19,700 shares, Cable and Wireless gaining 7 cents to $1.27 with 549,196 shares, Caribbean Cement with gains of 45 cents, ended at $28.95 with 16,055 shares, Carreras held firm at $108 with 41,241 shares, Grace Kennedy falling $2.04 to $39.01 with 262,645 shares. Jamaica Broilers rising $1.29, to $17.50 with 247,206 shares, Jamaica Producers climbing $1.23, to $14.98 with 47,619 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange closing at $6.47 with 28,865 shares. JMMB Group continues inn strong demand following the 604,000 shares traded on Friday with an exchange of 332,817 shares to finish at $21.50. In other main market activity, 
Kingston Wharves closed at $29.50, losing 50 cents with 123,007 shares trading, Mayberry Investments fell 11 cents, to $4.06 with 3,117 shares, NCB Financial Group declined $1.85 to $89.10 with 54,845 shares, 1834 Investments closed at $1.34 with 30,000 shares, PanJam Investment closed at $31.60, losing $1.40 with 2,100 shares and Portland JSX gained 5 cents, to end at $9.30 with 1,200 shares. Pulse Investments rose 1 cent, to $1.95 with 33,620 shares, Radio Jamaica lost 5 cents to $1.30 with 14,702 shares, Sagicor Group traded 75 cents lower, to $31 with 81,938 shares, Sagicor Real Estate fund closed at $12.05, losing 1 cent in trading 10,525 shares, Salada Foods gained 50 cents to close at $10 with 250 shares, Scotia Group declined $1.96 to $45.03 with 130,119 shares, Scotia Investments traded 50 cents higher to $35.51 with 4,500 shares, Seprod gained 9 cents to close at $29.84 with 6,210 shares. Proven Investments US ordinary share gained 1 US cent to end at 24 US cents with 5,663 units, Margaritaville Turks US ordinary share lost 3 US cents, to 30 US cents with 421 units, JMMB Group US 6% preference share closed at US$1.10 with 424 units and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.5% preference share closed at $1.99 with 107,900 units.
