The Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange suffered a hefty blow on Monday, with the need to fund public share issues seeming to be playing a role as such issues did in the past, this is following a huge 72 percent decline in the volume of stocks traded, with a 67 percent lower value than on Friday after the exchange of 44 securities compared with 45 on Friday.
The market closed with prices of just 10 rising, 24 declining and 10 closing unchanged with the Junior Market Index down sharply at the close with a sizable drop of 67.08 points to 3,560.28.
The market closed with trading of 7,155,019 shares for $14,911,504, down from 25,193,200 stock units at $45,578,261 on Friday with trading ending with an average of 162,614 shares for $338,898, well below the 559,849 stocks at $1,012,850 on Friday and February that closed with an average of 246,071 shares at $454,487.
Derrimon Trading led trading with 1.12 million shares for 15.6 percent of total volume followed by Everything Fresh which ended with 1.02 million units for 14.3 percent of the day’s trade and Jamaican Teas with 930,218 stocks for 13 percent of the volume traded.
At the close of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
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 financial years ending around August 2025.
At the close of the first trading day in March, CAC 2000 rallied 10 cents and ended at $2.20 in trading a mere 1,258 units, following the release of the full year results showing a profit of 17 cents per share compared with a 76 cents loss in 2023. Caribbean Cream lost 12 cents to close at $2.73 after 74 stocks passed through the market, Consolidated Bakeries popped 9 cents to end at $1.89 in trading 1,501 shares. Express Catering slipped 14 cents in closing at $3 with 6,526 stock units crossing the exchange, Future Energy sank 14 cents to finish at $3.33 with 59,720 shares changing hands, Image Plus shed 12 cents to close at $1.20 in an exchange of 5,612 stocks. ISP Finance declined 83 cents to $21.17 with traders dealing in 52 units, Jamaican Teas sank 25 cents in closing at $2.21 after a transfer of 930,218 stock units, Knutsford Express dropped $2.16 to end at $12.21 in switching the ownership of 220 shares. Medical Disposables fell 7 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ low of $1.31 after an exchange of 287,132 stock units, Omni Industries dipped 7 cents and ended at 95 cents with a transfer of 75,412 stocks with the price starting to reflect a truer valuation following the overstating of the earnings per share for 2024 of 5 cents, instead of the 8.6 cents the company erroneously reported. Regency Petroleum skidded 17 cents to finish at $3.20, with 116,188 units crossing the market. Stationery and Office Supplies sank 15 cents to $1.53 after an exchange of 139,184 stocks and Tropical Battery fell 10 cents in closing at $2.70 after 122,095 units were traded.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.


The market closed with trading of 7,122,679 shares for $7,747,839, after sliding from 7,960,170 units at $13,236,337 on Monday.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 13.3, derived by dividing the last traded price of a stock by the earnings per share. ICInsider.com compiles the PE ratios in this report for companies with their financial year ending around August 2026.
KLE Group sank 14 cents to finish at 90 cents with investors trading 34 shares, Knutsford Express dropped 70 cents and ended at $10.29 in an exchange of 1,616 stocks, Limners and Bards advanced 11 cents to close at $1.03 with traders dealing in 149,436 units. Mailpac Group lost 30 cents to $2.49 after a transfer of 28,552 stock units, Main Event declined 10 cents to finish at $7 as investors exchanged 3,743 shares, Medical Disposables popped 24 cents and ended at $1.34 with 203 stocks crossing the market. Paramount Trading shed 22 cents in closing at $1.06 with an exchange of 25,578 units and Regency Petroleum rallied 6 cents to close at $3.94 with 3,998 stock units changing hands.