The bears took another swipe at Jamaica Stock Exchange stocks on Friday and, in the process, cut more points off the market indices at the close on Friday and still left the recovery from the lows reached in March intact.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index declined by 2,030.54 points to 425,749.25, the JSE Market Index fell 1,694.44 points to 388,060.38 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.25 points to 105.75.
The market closed with 45 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 15 stocks advancing, 19 declining and 11 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 41 securities accounting for 22,927,942 units valued at $89,687,496, in contrast to 146,823,904 units valued at $296,270,700 from 44 securities on Thursday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 15.1 million shares for 66 percent of total volume followed Wigton Windfarm with 2.8 million units for just over 12 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.4 million units for 6 percent market share.
The Market closed with an average of 559,218 units valued at an average of $2,187,500 for each security traded, in contrast to 3,336,907 units valued at an average of $6,733,425 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 984,827units valued at $4,072,790 for each security changing hands, compared to 1,022,515 units valued at $4,256,393 for each security traded. Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows eight stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and five stocks closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.1, while the Main Market ended at 14.5 times 2020/21 earnings.
In Main Market trading, Barita Investments lost $1 to end at $55, in exchanging 15,090 shares, Berger Paints gained $1.38 to close at $14, with just 2,500 units traded, Caribbean Cement shed 50 cents after transferring 32, 777 stock units to end at $48.50. Carreras closed 69 cents lower to $6.06, with 365,300 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers declined to $19.12, with a loss of 88 cents in swapping 5,424 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange rose 74 cents to $22.91, in trading 117,624 shares. 
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy jumped by $30.58 after transferring 494 units to end at $180.58, NCB Financial Group shed 50 cents to close at $155, with an exchange of 105,674 shares, Proven Investments picked up $1.01 to finish at $38.10, in swapping 2,500 units. Sagicor Group closed at $49, with a loss of 75 cents with 434,646 shares crossing the exchange, Salada Foods lost 50 cents after swapping 7,102 units at $28, Scotia Group fell by $2.08 to $45.81, with a transfer of 34,866 stock units. Seprod dropped $1 to close at $45, in trading 8,911 units, Stanley Motta picked up 41 cents to finish at $5.03, in exchanging 6,000 units, Supreme Ventures ended at $15.48, with a loss of $1.52 and the swapping of 47,463 shares. Sygnus Credit Investments closed at $15, after losing $2.45 trading 57,900 shares and Wisynco Group ended the exchanging of 341,913 stock units at $16, with a loss of $1.10.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading activity resulted in five securities changing hands, with one rising, one stock declining and three remaining unchanged, leading to the volume of 6,934,785 units changing hands with a value of US$80,338, in contrast to 648,937 units for US$25,614 on Wednesday.
The market closed with 50 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of nine stocks advancing, 28 declining and 13 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 44 securities accounting for 53,531,710 units valued at $153,340,745, in contrast to 21,215,763 units valued at $102,509,485 from 46 securities on Tuesday.
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
NCB Financial Group declined by $2 to $156 transferring 98,627 shares, PanJam Investment picked up 83 cents to close at $76.83, after trading 24,331 units, Proven Investments climbed $2.95 to $37 after exchanging 940 units. Sagicor Group dropped $2.98 to end at $50.52, after trading 179,780 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund gained 41 cents to close at $7.99, with 41,292 units changing hands. Salada Foods closed at $33.45, after climbing $5.05 in swapping a mere 120 units. Scotia Group shed 45 cents to finish at $47.50 in transferring 17,694 units, Seprod lost $3 to end at $44, with an exchange of 33,846 units, Stanley Motta lost 65 cents to close at $5, in swapping 36,575 stock units. Supreme Ventures dropped $1.99 to $17, after trading 131,365 shares, Victoria Mutual Investments ended at $7.80, with a loss of $1.20 in transferring 518,294 shares and Wisynco Group fell by $2.49 to $17, with 667,525 shares changing hands.
The Market closed with an average of 909,064 units valued at $10,809,850 for each security traded, in contrast to 543,596 units valued at $2,706,411 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 765,512 units valued at $4,319,932 for each security changing hands, compared to 745,075 units valued at $3,238,279 for each security traded. Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
Portland JSX exchanged 16,000 units and rose 80 cents to end at $8.10. Proven Investments shed 50 cents to finish at $38, in swapping 3,000 shares, Sagicor Group picked up 50 cents to reach $51, with an exchange of 5,271,009 stock units, Salada Foods dropped $4.30 to close at $28.40 trading 121,898 shares. Seprod added $1 and closed at $49, after transferring 26,237 units, Supreme Ventures exchanged 201,920 shares after rising 99 cents to close at $17, Sygnus Credit Investments traded 147,833 shares and gained 50 cents to end at $18. Victoria Mutual Investments ended at $9, with gains of $1 after trading 858,125 shares and Wisynco Group closed $1.50 higher at $19, in exchanging 2,848,031 shares.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 5,606.53 points to 432,124.95, the JSE Market Index advanced 4,975.85 points to 393,629.79 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.02 points to 106.63.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 10.3 million shares for 47.6 percent of total volume, Wigton Windfarm followed with 3 million units for 14 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 2.6 million units for 12 percent market share. Wisynco Group, the only other stock trading more than one million units, in exchanging 1.2 million shares.
The PE ratio of the overall market ended at 14.2, while the Main Market ended at 14.5 times 2020/21 earnings.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 10.4 million shares for 42 percent of total volume. Wigton Windfarm followed, with 8.5 million units for 34.6 percent of the day’s trade and Trans Jamaican Highway trading in the US dollar market accounted for 3.8 million units for the equivalent of 15.6 percent of the Main Market’s volume. Other stocks trading more than one million units were Sagicor Select Financial Fund, with 2.3 million shares and Wisynco Group with 1.3 million units.
First Rock Capital closed 40 cents lower at $9.60, with 50,007 shares crossing the exchange, Jamaica Broilers declined $3.52 to $29, with 48,411 shares changing hands, Jamaica Producers gained $1.04 to close at $20.15 transferring 15,332 units. Mayberry Jamaican Equities closed $1.20 higher to reach $9.10, in trading 59,464 shares, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced by $5 to $145, with an exchange of 344 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed $2.09 to $155 in swapping 37,820 shares. Sagicor Group added $1.75 to end at $50.50, with 89,434 shares changing hands, Salada Foods dropped $3.78 to finish at $32.22, after transferring 471 units, Seprod closed $1 lower to $48.50, with an exchange of 11,674 units. Stanley Motta shed 30 cents to end at $5.50 trading 22,100 units, Sterling Investments picked up 35 cents to close at $2.85, with a transfer of 145,739 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments lost $1.96 ended at $17.03, after exchanging 103,764 shares and Wisynco Group rose $1.49 to $15.39, in swapping 1,312,997 shares.
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced $5 to $140 after exchanging 1,512 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed to $152.91, with gains of $2.66 with 265,789 shares changing hands. PanJam Investments fell by $2 to $76 in swapping 225,872 shares, Portland JSX shed 70 cents to finish at $7.30, with an exchange of 38,667 units, Proven Investments closed at $39.70, after rising $2.20 and trading 11,126 units. Sagicor Group picked up 81 cents to end at $48.75, in transferring 73,620 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed 45 cents lower at $7.25 with 81,200 stock units crossing the exchange, Salada Foods jumped $6 to $36, after exchanging 59,400 units. Seprod closed $1.50 higher to $49.50, with a transfer of 65,614 shares and Supreme Ventures gained 40 cents to end at $14.40, with 248,813 shares changing hands.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange, US dollar market, rose by 3.2 percent with the market index climbing 6.44 points to close at 208.70, with the year to date decline being 7.7 percent. At the close of trading, the PE ratio of the market was an average of 14.5 times 2020 earnings. 
Trading in February resulted in an average of 624,731 units valued at $3,239,665 for each security.
NCB Financial Group closed $2 higher at $154, in trading 41,906 shares, 138 Student Living shed 81 cents to end at $4.69 exchanging 6,216 units, Portland JSX closed $1.60 lower to $7.30 after transferring just 416 units. Proven Investments ended at $35, after falling by $1 in trading 19,278 shares, Sagicor Group jumped $4.20 to $46.60, with 70,977 stock units changing hands, Sagicor Real Estate Fund fell 82 cents to $6.60 with the transfer of 5,774 units. Scotia Group climbed $3.50 to finish at $47.50 and trading 77,214 shares, Seprod added $2 to end at $39, with an exchange of 41,696 shares, Sterling Investments picked up 30 cents to close at $2.80, in transferring 1,300 units. Victoria Mutual Investments ended at $6.54, with gains of 48 cents and exchanging 160,790 shares and Wisynco Group closed at $13.30, with a loss of 70 cents after 558,494 shares crossed the exchange.