The Junior Market continues its recent commanding run with a rise of 27.15 points in the market index on Thursday to close at 3,040.03, just below the close of 3,066.67 on February 3, last year, as the market seems to be breaking away from resistance at the 3,000 points level, with technical indicators pointing to more gains ahead.
The Junior Market recovering strongly with a 15% increase in 2021 and 50% since the 2020 low.
Trading ended with 33 securities changing hands from 36 on Wednesday, with prices of 14 rising, nine declining and 10 remaining unchanged.
The average PE Ratio ended at 12.3 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings.
The number and value of stocks trading, jumped by 65 and 62 percent, respectively as 9,469,995 shares changed hands for $31,077,238, up from 5,748,389 units at $19,205,192 on Wednesday.
Jamaican Teas led trading with 44.7 percent after an exchange of 4.23 million shares, followed by Mailpac Group 25.2 percent, with 2.38 million units and Indies Pharma, 11.8 percent with an exchange of 1.12 million units.
Trading averaged 286,970 units at $941,734 compared to 159,677 at $533,478 on Wednesday. Trading month to date averages 195,271 units at $663,857 from 165,892 units at $574,829 on Wednesday. March closed with an average of 252,633 units at $733,196.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Access Financial climbed 34 cents to finish at $22.50 with an exchange of 445 shares, Blue Power fell 16 cents to $3.58 as 500 stock units changed hands, Caribbean Assurance Brokers rose 10 cents to $2.10 with 3,500 stocks traded. Caribbean Cream jumped 79 cents to a 52 weeks’ high of $6.34 with a transfer of 2,411 shares, Caribbean Producers advanced 24 cents to $3.74 with 17,850 stocks passing through the market, Consolidated Bakeries gained 21 cents to settle at $1.75 with an exchange of 6,800 units. Dolphin Cove slipped 10 cents to $7.80 with 415 stock units changing hands, Everything Fresh lost 5 cents to end at 94 cents with 15,435 shares traded, Fosrich finished 5 cents lower at $5.20 with a transfer of 31,480 units. General Accident rose 8 cents to $5.83 with investors switching ownership of 5,239 units, Honey Bun increased by 5 cents to $5.09 with 10,383 units changing hands, Indies Pharma jumped 41 cents to $4.40 with a notable 1,121,424 shares trading. 
Iron Rock Insurance gained 5 cents to close at $3.60 with 3,080 stocks traded, Jamaican Teas fell 7 cents to $3.12 with a transfer of 4,230,341 stock units, following 2.3 million that traded on Wednesday, Lasco Distributors rose 11 cents to $4 with investors switching ownership of 6,450 shares. Lasco Manufacturing improved by 8 cents to $4.34 with 11,405 units changing hands, Medical Disposables dropped 19 cents to $4.50 with 4,372 stocks traded and Stationery and Office Supplies gained 9 cents to close at $5.57 with 7,906 shares crossing the exchange.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Investors traded 36 securities, down from 38 on Tuesday, resulting in the prices of 13 rising, 15 declining and eight remaining unchanged.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows six stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Iron Rock Insurance lost 5 cents to end at $3.55 trading 2,311 stock units, Jetcon Corporation fell 5 cents to 71 cents with the swapping of 151,000 units. Lasco Manufacturing shed 22 cents to settle at $4.26 with 574,001 stock units changing hands. Mailpac Group rose 9 cents to $3.54 after 381,236 units crossed the market and tTech declined 19 cents to $4.41 with the swapping of 25,457 shares.
The Junior Market Index rose 14.96 points to close at 3,011.45, the highest close since February 4 last year. Trading opened with the market index clocking 3,040.95 points and moved 3,046.56 points at 9.37 am, but back off thereafter to close at the lower level. The average PE Ratio ended at 12.1 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings.
Trading averaged 154,615 units at $555,476, in contrast to 188,384 at $651,520 on Thursday. The month to date average resulted from an exchange of 169,232 units at $597,047, compared to March with an average of 252,633 units at $733,196.
Indies Pharma rose 30 cents to $4, with 40,589 shares crossing the exchange, Knutsford Express advanced 83 cents to $6.34 in exchanging 250 units, Lasco Distributors shed 20 cents to close at $3.89 in trading 3,130,924 stocks. Lasco Financial gained 20 cents to end at $3.10 in an exchange of 245,470 stock units. Lasco Manufacturing lost 7 cents in closing at $4.48 with a transfer of 36,143 units, Mailpac Group fell 16 cents to $3.45, with 505,601 stocks crossing the market. Medical Disposables gained 49 cents in closing at $4.69 in trading 1,519 shares, SSL Venture gained 5 cents to end at 60 cents in switching ownership of 3,426 stock units and Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 72 cents to $5.50 with the swapping of 384 units.
At the same time, the JSE Main Market, while trading above the March 2001 low, is nowhere near the 2020 high and closed out the first quarter marginally down on the 2020 closing.
In the meantime, the JSE Main Market failed to move higher in 2021, ending the first quarter 0.20 percent lower than the December close. It is still a bit lower than the 442,905.76 reached on the All Jamaica Composite Index after the early rebound from the 2020 low of 375,091.09 reached on March 25 last year, or the 438,045.18 reached subsequently on November 30.
The Main Market recorded gains in 16 stocks that beat the market’s average move in 2021, with 26 falling below. Main market stocks with healthy gains are Ciboney with a stunning 142 percent rise, followed by Salada Foods with 125 percent gain aided by a 10 to one stock split, Grace Kennedy 37 percent, First Rock 31 percent and proven Investments 27 percent. Palace Amusement Company that the Covid-19 dislocation has badly hurt is the worst-performing stock with a 51 percent decline, followed by Portland JSX with a loss of 25 percent and Radio Jamaica with 22 percent. Wisynco lost 14 percent and Wigton Windfarm 13 percent.
The market index climbed 13.95 points to finish at 2,982.95. Just 30 securities traded, down from 38 on Tuesday, resulting in 13 stocks rising, 12 declining and five closed unchanged, resulting in 14,376,733 shares trading for $36,855,263, up from 3,008,031 shares for $7,749,677 on Monday. The average PE Ratio ended at 16.8 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
Trading led trading with 74 percent, with a transfer of 10.7 million units, followed by Tropical Battery with one million units for 7 percent of the day’s trade and Mailpac with 3.9 percent after trading 566,794 shares,
Limners and Bards rose 6 cents to $2.75, with 257,417 stock units changing hands, Lumber Depot slipped 7 cents to $2.30 with a transfer of 359,623 units, Mailpac Group picked up 4 cents to finish at $3.49 trading 566,794 stock units. Medical Disposables traded 200 shares but lost 55 cents to close at $4.15 and SSL Venture Capital rose 4 cents to 60 cents while trading 4.400 shares.
At the close, the market index slipped 3.41 points to finish at 2,969, with the market enjoying a 12.3 percent rise for the year, with just one more day left for the first quarter to end. This year’s performance contrast with a 32.7 fall in the market index at the same time in 2020. Since then, the market has gained 32 percent in value.
Trading averaged 79,159 units at $203,939, down from 195,011 at $497,993 on Monday. Trading month to date averages 243,918 units at $714,145, verusu 252,356 units at $740,275 on Monday. February closed with an average of 365,365 units at $881,118.
Limners and Bards fell 10 cents to $2.69, with 59,408 stock units changing hands, Lumber Depot slipped 7 cents to $2.30 with a transfer of 359,623 units, Mailpac Group lost 5 cents to finish at $3.45 with an exchange of 165,721 stock units. Paramount Trading declined by 11 cents to end at $1.30 with investors swapping 22,050 units, Stationery and Office Supplies advanced 20 cents to $5.50 with 47 units traded and tTech climbed 34 cents to $4.81 with 18,908 shares crossing the exchange.
Trading accounted for 37 securities, up from 33 on Friday, with the prices of six rising, 22 declining and nine remaining unchanged. The Junior Market Index shed 12.29 points to settle at 2,972.41. The average PE Ratio ended at 16.7 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
At the close, AMG Packaging fell 18 cents to $1.90 in trading 2,555 units, Cargo Handlers shed 21 cents to close at $8.50, with 3,013 stock units crossing the market, Caribbean Assurance Brokers finished 13 cents lower at $1.91, after 4,029 stocks cleared the market. Caribbean Cream lost 6 cents in closing at $4.99 in exchanging 10,846 units, Caribbean Flavours rose 37 cents to close at $2.27 trading 133,707 stocks, Dolphin Cove shed 42 cents to close at $8.03 in a transfer of 700 units, Elite Diagnostic lost 9 cents to settle at $3 trading 32,100 stocks. Express Catering gained 7 cents in closing at $3.80, after exchanging 68,617 shares, Fosrich ended 6 cents lower at $5.19 in exchanging 15,486 units, General Accident lost 6 cents to end at $5.50 with 448,517 stocks changing hands, Honey Bun slipped 7 cents to $5.02 with the swapping of 13,811 shares. iCreate lost 5 cents to end at 77 cents and finished with a transfer of 252,717 stock units, Indies Pharma gained 20 cents to close at $4 in the swapping of 180,504 units, Iron Rock Insurance fell 80 cents to $2.80 in switching ownership of 100 stocks. 
KLE Group shed 24 cents to end at $1 after 134,900 stocks crossed the exchange, Lasco Manufacturing lost 8 cents to end at $4.38 with an exchange of 25,019 stock units. Limners and Bards gained 4 cents in closing at $2.79 after trading 849,093 units and Mailpac Group picked up 5 cents to close at $3.50 with 1,058,633 shares changing hands.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Knutsford Express rose 80 cents to $6.35 after exchanging 500 units, Lasco Distributors rose 8 cents to $4.14, with 49,688 stock units changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing lost 13 cents to end at $4.46 in an exchange of 101,862 stocks. Limners and Bards gained 5 cents to close at $2.75 with the swapping of 2,276,465 shares, Main Event rose 32 cents to $3.47, with 50,000 stocks hands and tTech finished 8 cents higher at $4.50 after transferring 40 units.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
Indies Pharma advanced 90 cents to a 52 weeks’ high of $4.20 with 427,490 shares clearing the market. Knutsford Express rose 45 cents to $5.55, with 2,437 shares crossing the exchange, Lasco Distributors picked up 7 cents to close at to end at 52 weeks’ high of $4.15 in switching ownership of 125,573 stock units, Lasco Financial rose 5 cents to $2.64, after transferring 3,146 shares. Lasco Manufacturing climbed 12 cents to $4.46, with 23,948 units changing hands, Lumber Depot dipped 13 cents to $2.45, after clearing the market with 176,529 stocks, Main Event ended 6 cents higher at $3.12 in an exchange of 50,000 units. Paramount Trading gained 12 cents to settle at $1.43 trading 1,000 stock units, Stationery and Office Supplies climbed 96 cents to $5.58 trading 106 units and tTech gained 9 cents to close at $4.84, transferring 21,683 stocks.
Trading averaged 210,216 units at $782,800, versus 394,569 at $1,213,758 on Wednesday. The month to date, averaged 241,183 units at $698,505, compared to 243,736 units at $691,556 on Wednesday. February averaged 365,365 units at $881,118.
Lasco Financial dropped 13 cents to $2.51 with 31,375 stocks changing hands, Limners and Bards climbed 30 cents to $2.85, with 1,105,667 units traded, Lumber Depot rose 7 cents to $2.57 with a transfer of 384,692 shares. Main Event gained 5 cents to close at $3.20 with an exchange of 1,018,764 stocks, Paramount Trading fell 12 cents to $1.31 with 7,206 stock units changing hands, Tropical Battery lost 5 cents to end at $1.15 with 150,083 units traded and tTech rose 5 cents to $4.75 with 3,677 shares crossing the exchange.
