Stocks continue to eke out moderate gains to put the Jamaica Stock Exchange Junior Market up 3.6 percent for the year to date, (64 percent annualized) with the Market Index adding 14.59 points on Thursday to end at 2,738.19 after more stocks declined than those rising and 11 percent fewer shares valued 19 percent less than on Wednesday, traded.
Trading ended with 35 securities changing hands compared to 28 on Wednesday and closed with 12 rising, 16 declining and seven closed unchanged.
The average PE Ratio ended at 14.3 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with trading in 4,133,453 shares for $10,720,333 down from 4,652,136 units at $13,253,906 on Wednesday. Derrimon Trading led trading with 41 percent of total volume for 1.70 million shares followed by Jamaican Teas with 19.3 percent for 798,534 units and Mailpac Group with 11.1 percent market share for 457,156 stock units.
Trading averaged 118,099 units at $306,295, in contrast to 166,148 at $473,354 on Wednesday. Trading month to date averaged 223,589 units at $535,930, compared to 231,831 units at $553,870 on Wednesday. 
December averaged 263,428 units at $638,694.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Cargo Handlers lost 11 cents to close at $7.79, after exchanging 30 shares, Caribbean Assurance Brokers ended at $1.86, with gains of 6 cents trading 2,500 units, Caribbean Cream picked up 11 cents to settle at $4.70, after finishing with an exchange of 36,200 shares. Caribbean Flavours closed 10 cents higher at $1.70, with 98,614 stocks crossing the market, Caribbean Producers shed 21 cents to $2.61 after exchanging 77,524 stock units, Dolphin Cove finished at $8.50, with a loss of 26 cents in transferring 2,052 shares. Elite Diagnostic ended 13 cents lower at $2.72, with 5,905 stocks crossing the exchange, Everything Fresh lost 6 cents to end at 68 cents trading 11,393 shares, Express Catering gained 23 cents to close at $3.72, with 750 stock units changing hands. Fontana rose 10 cents to $5.70 after the swapping of 66,752 units, Jamaican Teas carved out a gain of 5 cents to a 52 weeks’ closing high of $2.90, trading 798,534 shares. 
Lasco Financial dropped 14 cents to $2.51 in exchanging 25,330 shares, Lasco Manufacturing slipped 18 cents to $3.72 trading 42,196 stock units, Limners and Bards lost 9 cents in closing at $2.61, with 44,572 shares crossing the market. Lumber Depot rose 22 cents to $1.93, in exchanging 153,241 stock units, Main Event added 24 cents to close at $3.24 trading 7,510 shares. Paramount Trading shed 14 cents to settle at $1.30, with 104,200 stocks crossing the exchange and Tropical Battery lost 6 cents to close at $1.04, with 316,244 shares changing hands.
In the preference segment, Derrimon Trading preference shares lost 6 cents to close at $2.04 trading 41,782 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading ended with 28 securities changing hands, down from 35 on Tuesday and concluded with the prices of 18 stocks rising, four declining and six remaining unchanged.
Limners and Bards gained 10 cents to end at $2.70 with 4,426 units passing through the market, Lumber Depot advanced 17 cents to $1.71 with a transfer of 421,288 stock units, Mailpac Group exchanged 1,016,948 stocks and rose 9 cents to settle at $3.69. Paramount Trading increased by 14 cents to finish at $1.44 with 85 shares changing hands and Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 23 cents to $4.35 with a transfer of 30,685 units.
Trading ended with 35 securities changing hands compared to 37 on Monday and concluded with the prices of 13 stocks rising, 16 declining and six remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio ended at 14.1 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Knutsford Express fell 15 cents to $6.60 with 999 stocks changing hands, Lasco Distributors dropped 20 cents to $3.20 with an exchange of 38,500 stock units, Lasco Manufacturing increased by 7 cents to $4.07 with 8,500 shares traded, Lumber Depot exchanged 3,047,431 stock units and lost 5 cents to close at $1.54. Mailpac Group shed 30 cents trading 1,398,183 shares to finish at $3.60 Main Event fell 10 cents to $3 with a transfer of 48,902 units and Tropical Battery advanced 9 cents to $1.09 with 3,894,959 shares crossing the exchange.
Trading ended with 37 securities changing hands compared to 35 on Friday, with prices of 14 stocks rising, 13 declining and 10 remaining unchanged. Jamaican Teas and Mailpac ended at record closing highs.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
Limners and Bards slipped 20 cents to $2.62 after trading 50,000 units. Lumber Depot gained 13 cents in ending at $1.59, after switching ownership of 38,266 stock units, Mailpac Group rose 15 cents to $3.90, with an exchange of 798,398 shares, Medical Disposables closed at $4.22, after gaining 12 cents transferring 57 stock units. Stationery and Office Supplies slid 44 cents to $4.10, with 31,308 units crossing the market, Tropical Battery slipped 12 cents to $1, trading 4,760,765 shares after the company posted audited accounts showing profit falling to just $29 million from $73 million based on the interim, full-year results. tTech lost 5 cents to close at $4.10, with 29,396 units crossing the exchange.
Lumber Depot dropped 9 cents to close at $1.46 with 131,622 stocks changing hands. Mailpac Group advanced 15 cents in trading 982,100 stock units to finish at a record closing high of $3.75, Main Event gained 10 cents to end at $3.10 with a transfer of 6,165 units, Paramount Trading rose 5 cents to $1.30 with 3,920 shares changing hands and Stationery and Office Supplies jumped 43 cents to $4.54 with 47,002 stocks traded.
Trading averaged 372,767 units at $961,909 down from 522,016 at $1,293,410 on Wednesday. The month to date trade averaged 211,281 units at $526,115 versus 192,249 units at $474,753 on Wednesday. December ended with an average of 263,428 units at $638,694.
Lasco Manufacturing advanced 20 cents to $4 with 281,948 stocks changing hands, Limners and Bards traded 398,818 stock units after rising 15 cents to finish at $2.80, Lumber Depot rose 6 cents to $1.55 with a transfer of 299,471 units. Mailpac Group exchanged 2,472,264 shares and gained 40 cents to close at a record high of $3.60, Main Event dropped 24 cents to $3 with 4,591 units passing through the market, Medical Disposables fell 10 cents to $4.10 with 86 stocks changing hands. SSL Venture rose 5 cents to 55 with a transfer of 20,500 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies lost 39 cents to close at $4.11 in trading 2,982 shares and Tropical Battery slipped 4 cents to $1.14 with 89,040 units crossing the exchange.
The Jamaica Stock Market has moved from the best performing in the world in 2018 to one of the worse performing in 2020. The fall from grace had to do far less with local factors but more so with global developments. Nevertheless, Main Market listed 
The Junior Market suffered badly, with ten stocks losing upwards of 39 percent out of a list of 33 stocks that declined for the year. The Junior Market was partially saved by two stocks, one that was listed in December 2019 and one listed in the last half of 2020. Mailpac was listed in December 2019 and rose 36 percent in 2020, followed by Tropical Battery by 28 percent as the two leading Junior Market winners. With tax losses as the only major asset of worth, Ciboney came in third and more than doubled with a rise of 118 percent. The Main Market had 32 stocks declining during the year, with losses going as high as 63 percent.
In 2020, both of the Jamaica Stock Exchange major markets were down, with the Junior Market just edging out the Main Market index with a lower decline of 21 percent versus 22.6 percent. Even though 2020 was not a great year, some investors made money by buying stocks at rock bottom prices when many investors were dumping earlier in the year.
Since bottoming in March, the Junior Market is up 30 percent and the Main Market 16.6 percent by the end of the year. There are strong signals pointing to an upward move for both markets as they transitioned from a consolidating phase when investors were assessing developments in the economy and the stock market to a more bullish state since the latter months of 2020.
Trading ended with 38 securities changing hands compared to 36 on Tuesday and closed with the prices of 14 stocks rising, 15 declining and nine ending firm and edging the Junior Market Index down 8.77 points to 2,647.80 for the second day of slippage after Mailpac ended at a new record closing high after it traded as high as $3.30 during the day.
Trading averaged 522,016 units at $1,293,410, in contrast to 103,836 at $260,918 on Tuesday. Trading month to date averaged 192,249 units at $474,753 compared to 140,467 units at $346,204 on Tuesday. December closed with an average of 263,428 units at $638,694.
Indies Pharma fell 24 cents to $2.31, with 204,285 stock units changing hands, Jamaican Teas gained 5 cents in closing at $2.35, in an exchange of 1,075,935 stock units. Knutsford Express lost 22 cents in ending at $6.58 trading 3,042 shares, Lasco Manufacturing lost 9 cents to settle at $3.80, in transferring 37,045 units, Mailpac Group closed 19 cents higher at $3.20, in switching ownership of 1,064,465 stock units. Main Event rose 27 cents to $3.24, after crossing the market with 150 stock units, SSL Venture lost 5 cents to settle at 50 cents, with an exchange of 83,250 stocks and Tropical Battery gained 6 cents to close at $1.18, trading 11,043 shares.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows two stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Limners and Bards advanced 7 cents to $2.65 after switching ownership of 22,278 stocks, Lumber Depot added 5 cents to settle at $1.52 with 7,000 units changing hands. Mailpac Group exchanged 647,751 shares and gained 6 cents to close at a record closing high of $3.01, Medical Disposables fell 7 cents to $4.20 trading 105 units and tTech shed 74 cents to end at $4.16 with 11,969 shares crossing the exchange.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows four stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Lasco Distributors closed at $3.11, with a loss of 9 cents in exchanging 11,100 stock units, Limners and Bards fell 7 cents to $2.58, with an exchange of 30,351 stock units, Mailpac Group gained 7 cents in ending at $2.95, after crossing the market with 662,681 shares. Paramount Trading shed 10 cents in closing at 52 weeks’ low of $1.25 after trading 24,195 stock units, SSL Venture gained 9 cents to end at 59 cents after exchanging 1,000 units and Tropical Battery shed 5 cents ending at $1.13 trading 202,058 shares.
