After closing just over 3,058 points on Friday last, the market again flirted at the edge of the 3,000 points level once again on Wednesday but ended up closing with a 30.20 points drop to end at 3,005.14 as the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange had two bad days of three for the week so far.

Trading ended with 35 securities changing hands compared to 36 on Tuesday and closed with the prices of 12 stocks rising, 13 declining and 10 remaining unchanged.
The Junior Market Index dropped 30.20 points to settle at. The PE Ratio based on ICInsider.com forecast of 2021-22 earnings averages 12.3.
The market closed with the volume traded rising 66 percent above Tuesday’s levels carrying a value that was 86 percent higher as 5,634,565 shares traded for $16,996,208 compared to 3,392,680 units at $9,143,126 on Tuesday. Mailpac Group led trading with 33.3 percent of total volume for 1.87 million shares followed by Derrimon Trading with 31.6 percent for 1.78 million units and Limners and Bards with 7.1 percent after trading 398,329 shares.
Trading averaged 160,988 units at $485,606, up from 94,241 at $253,976 on Tuesday. Trading month to date averages 189,144 units at $608,258, down from 193,217 units at $625,997 on Tuesday.
Trading in March averaged 252,633 units at $733,196.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and four with lower offers.
At the close, Caribbean Assurance Brokers lost 14 cents to close at $2.03 with 27,940 shares crossing the exchange, Consolidated Bakeries gained 29 cents in closing at $1.64 with a transfer of 8,500 stock units, Elite Diagnostic ended 29 cents higher at $3.15 with the swapping of 1,500 units. Everything Fresh lost 5 cents to close at 90 cents in switching ownership of 1,010 shares, Express Catering dipped 9 cents to $4.40 in trading 13,257 stocks, iCreate finished 5 cents lower at 74 cents with 23,521 shares changing hands, Jamaican Teas lost 8 cents in ending at $3.16 in the swapping of 93,539 stocks. KLE Group rose 16 cents to $1.18 in an exchange of 749 shares,
Lasco Distributors declined 13 cents to end at $3.63 with 34,120 stock units clearing the market, Lasco Financial shed 20 cents to close at $2.85 after 15,880 shares crossed the exchange and Lasco Manufacturing lost 9 cents to settle at $4.50 after the transfer of 15,424 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading ended with 36 securities changing hands compared to 33 on Monday and closed with the prices of 13 stocks rising, 15 declining and eight remaining unchanged.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five with lower offers.
Lasco Financial fell 5 cents to $3.05 after exchanging 3,171 shares, Lasco Manufacturing gained 5 cents to finish at $4.59 trading 25,371 stock units, Lumber Depot picked up 9 cents to end at $2.49, trading 688,898 stocks. Medical Disposables fell 25 cents in closing at $4.25 in the swapping of 3,202 stocks and Stationery and Office Supplies gained 9 cents to end at $5.49 with an exchange of 185 units.
The Junior Market Index dropped 40.82 points to settle at 3,017.44. The PE Ratio based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings averages 11.2.
Trading averaged 194,673 units at $639,814, in contrast to 280,665 at $836,480 on Friday. Trading month to date averages 210,513 units at $691,011, consistent with 213,535 units at $700,777 on Friday. Trading in March resulted in an average of 252,633 units at $733,196.
Lumber Depot gained 9 cents to finish at $2.40 with investors switching ownership of 283,488 stocks, SSL Venture rose 8 cents to 63 cents in trading 44,276 shares. Stationery and Office Supplies declined 10 cents to $5.40, with 20,100 units crossing the market and tTech advanced 20 cents to $4.60 with 100 shares clearing the market.
The Junior Market and the Main Market continue to get support from technical indicators that point to robust gains ahead. Added to the technical indicators is limited supply of shares for some companies. One such is Caribbean Cream that currently has few offers on the board, the same goes for Elite Diagnostic, Stationery and Office Supplies, Lasco Financial Main Event, ISP Financial, Cargo Handlers. In the Main Market, it’s Radio Jamaica and Berger Paints.
With interest rates on government paper below 5 percent and likely to remain there for a few years, the likelihood is for the average PE ratios to climb higher during the next twelve months.
The average projected gain for the Junior Market IC TOP 10 stocks is 251 percent and 181 percent for the JSE Main Market, based on 2021-22 earnings. IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to March 2022 and ranked in order of potential gains, based on likely 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 result in movements in and out of the lists weekly. Revisions to earnings per share are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Trading ended with 37 securities changing hands compared to 33 on Thursday and ended with 17 rising, nine declining and 11, closed unchanged. The PE Ratio averages 12.3 based on ICInsider.com’s forecast of 2021-22 earnings.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows three stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
SSL Venture declined 6 cents to close at 55 cents with 331 stock units changing hands and Stationery and Office Supplies declined 7 cents to close at $5.50 after an exchange of 20,000 units.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
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.
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.
The top three stocks in the Junior Market are now SOS, followed by Elite Diagnostic Main Event and Jetcon Corporation. The top three Main Market stocks are Radio Jamaica, followed by PanJam and VM Investments. The top three junior Market stocks have the potential to gain between 295 to 318 percent and those in the main market with expected gains of 173 to 452 percent.

This week’s focus: Future Energy Source Company Initial Public Offer of 500 million shares, that ICInsider.com indicated last week should be snapped up quickly by investors, with the company having long-term prospects for strong growth, did just that. NCB Capital Markets, the brokers for the issue, reported on Thursday that the issue, priced at 80 cents per share and opened on Wednesday, closed on Thursday after another Junior Market IPO issue was oversubscribed. The successful closure of the issue will see the number of listed companies rising to 42 from the current 41.
The Junior and Main markets are currently trading well below the market average, indicating strong gains ahead. The JSE Main Market ended the week, with an overall PE of 14.7 and the Junior Market 9.8, based on ICInsider.com’s projected 2021-22 earnings. The PE ratio for the Junior Market Top 10 stocks average a mere 5.4 at just 55 percent of the market average. The Main Market TOP 10 trades at a PE of 7.4 or 50 percent of the PE of that market.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
Paramount Trading ended 11 cents higher at $1.41 trading 19,000 stock units, SSL Venture closed 5 cents lower at 55 cents in switching ownership of 3,012 units, Stationery and Office Supplies fell 72 cents to $4.78 with the transfer of 5,000 stocks. Tropical Battery increased 4 cents to end at $1.15 with an exchange of 212,881 stock units and tTech shed 21 cents to end at $4.60 in trading 1,000 stock units.