It has been boom times at the Jamaica Stock Exchange these days with rising prices and increasing listings. That is in stark contrast only a few years ago when the Jamaica Stock Exchange suffered a contraction in listings when some companies that were acquired or merged.
The market lost companies such as Cable and Wireless, Lascelles de Mercado, Courts, Capital and Credit Merchant Bank, Scotia Investments, Desnoes and Geddes, First Life and Pan Caribbean Bank. In addition to these local companies, a few Trinidad and Barbados companies delisted. The advent of the Junior Market saved the day for the exchange in bringing new listings but, more importantly, telegraphed that listing on the market could raise good money for the companies and was not harmful to management as many thought to be the case in the past. In short, there has been a considerable revolution in the concept of going to market, especially with the younger cadre’ of management now running businesses.
The change in the thinking of the business sector is leading to two significant years for listings with the JSE expecting 18 new listings of ordinary shares in 2020. Managing Director of the JSE, Marlene Street-Forrest confirmed the projections with the IC Insider.com. “The 2020 listings are compiled from feedback the exchange obtained from brokers. The list is split equally between Main Market and Junior Market stocks,” Street Forrest confirmed to this publication.
At the start of this year, the JSE projected to have 20 new listings, so far they have listed 12, but Street-Forrest expects new listings to hit 19 or 20 by the end of the year including a listing of a Canadian company that will come to the market by way of an introduction. By contrast, the exchange is said to have had just eight (8) new listings in 2018. The new listings for 2019 include MailPac Group that the exchange said is set to list on Wednesday. Lumber Depot could start trading before the end of the week word reaching IC Insider.com suggests. In addition to the above two, Sagicor Select Fund is expected to list before the end of the year. For 2019 to date, there are eight (8) new Main Market and four (4) new Junior Market listings, including one preference share and Margaritaville share that was listed in the regular market, in addition to being previously quoted in the US dollar market. The recent IPOS will lift the total to 15 for the year. Some of the 2020 listings should include First Rock Capital Holdings with its prospectus said to be at the Financial Services Commission, TransJamaica Highway, Jamaica Mortgage Bank and Jamaica Public Service Company.
While the new listings will provide more choices for investors, it is also expected to add to the Stock Exchange revenues and profit in 2020 and beyond.
2020 another big year for JSE
Earlier JSE trade settlement coming
Investor in securities listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) starting December 11, this year, will see a change in the time required to settle transactions, from 3 days to 2.
The stock exchange and Jamaica Central Securities Depository (JCSD), will change the time for settlement of transactions from the current period of trade date plus three (3) days (T+3) to trade date plus two (2) days (T+2).
According to the exchange, “this faster settlement cycle will align the JCSD to International Standards, facilitate Increased liquidity and better cash management for stockbrokers and investors, and be generally more efficient for all stakeholders.”
“The change to T+2 will see the JSE on par with other global markets by the end of 2017,” said JSE’s Managing Director, Marlene Street Forrest.
18 new IPOs for 2017
The Jamaica Stock Exchange is expecting at least 14 new listings of ordinary share in 2017, Marlene Street-Forrest, General Manager of the Stock Exchange told IC Insider.com. Street-Forrest says “this is information provided by brokers as well as enquiries made to the exchange, by interested companies.”
Two bond issues are also expected to be listed as well. There is the possibility of another listing which could be a relisting of a company that was previously listed years ago.
Ten new listings are slated for the junior market with 4 coming for the main market. Listings could start from as early as January or February.
The industries the potential junior market listed companies are involved in include one from information technology, two from the financial sector including a micro finance entity, a restaurant operation,
Minister of Finance Audley Shaw has restored junior market tax break.
The junior market listing activity was stalled while the business sector awaited the restoration of the tax incentive for the junior market. That legislation was passed by the senate on Friday Mrs Street-Forrest confirmed to IC Insider. The last listing of ordinary shares on the junior market was in March just ahead of the planned phasing out of tax free status for new listings on the exchange.
If the listings materialise, they would swell the junior market by a third and take the total listings on the exchange to more than 100, with the number of ordinary share listings to 80.
$100m of Scotia Group trade cancelled
In Mondays trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, MVL Stockbrokers purchased 5 million Scotia Group shares at $20 each, amounting to $100 million. Towards the end of the close in the market, the trades were no longer posted.
A check with the manager of the stock exchange Marlene Street Forrest, stated that “the matter of the trade was brought to my attention and on checking it was discovered that the broker incorrectly entered the order as 5 million units when it should have been 500,000 units. Based on the investigation done and the information gathered, all the selling brokers were contacted to get there approval about the cancellation. This is the norm is such cases, where cancellation is contemplated as such the trades were reversed”. Instructions were given to place orders for $5 million each of Carreras, National Commercial Bank and Scotia shares, Ed Mckie of head of MVL Stockbrokers informed IC Insider. The orders were on behalf of an institution not a pension fund, IC Insider was advised.
In early trading in the market today, there were three significant bids to buy 5 million units of each Carreras at $34, National Commercial Bank at $18 and Scotia at $20. Scotia trades were the only one executed, the other bids were withdrawn before any trade took place. At the end of trading none of the Scotia Shares were traded and the bid was removed. In all likelihood the bids for the smaller quantities will resurface shortly.
JSE gets Canadian tax exemption
Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) has obtained approval as a Designated Stock Exchange under the Income Tax Act of Canada. The approval was authourised by Canada’s Finance Minister Joe Oliver. A Designated Exchange provides that persons in Canada who purchase stocks on the Main JSE market will be exempt from taxes on income derived from these purchases in that country. The stocks on the JSE’s Main Market will become more attractive to Canadian Pension Fund, Investment Managers and Investors on a whole as a result of the tax exemption. If Jamaican Diaspora Bonds are listed on the JSE Main Market it will now be more attractive to the Jamaicans in Canada as they will not be required to pay income tax when trading these bond, a release from the Jamaica Stock Exchange suggest.
The JSE had to meet certain standards to have been recognized as a Designated Exchange, including adherence to rules and regulations, maintain a reasonable level of liquidity and offer a range of product on the Exchange.
“This is a significant milestone in our history, when the Canadian Government recognized the JSE as a Designated Exchange. This seeks to further solidify the relationship between Jamaica and Canada, a country which was instrumental in assisting the JSE with its first sets of Rules and the JSE’s Securities Course” Marlene Street Forrest, General Manager of the JSE, stated.
