The Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market suffered a sharp dropped at the close of trading on Thursday after more stocks fell than rose after three stocks fell for every one that gained following an exchange of 57 percent fewer shares than on Wednesday.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index dived 4,940.46 points to 411,986.10; the Main Index declined 4,741.22 points to 375,684.76 and the JSE Financial Index shed 1.90 points to settle at 98.55.
Trading ended with 41 securities changing hands compared to 46 on Wednesday and closed with the prices of eight stocks rising, 24 stocks declining and nine remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.2 based on the IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 7,166,466 shares for $45,683,165 compared to 16,710,134 units at $211,378,559 on Wednesday. QWI Investments led trading with 22.6 percent of total volume after 1.62 million shares changed hands, followed by Transjamaica Highway with 18.2 percent or 1.3 million units and Mayberry Jamaican Equities with 14.1 percent market share for an exchange of 1 million stock units.
Trading ended with an average of 174,792 units changing hands at $1,114,224 for each security compared to an average of 363,264 shares at $4,595,186 on Wednesday. Trading in September averaged 265,170 units at $3,271,625.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows 11 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments suffered a big fall of $20.37, to close at $75.14 after the stock was pumped up for the end of the month and started the new month trading 148,948 shares. Berger Paints shed 85 cents to end at $11, in clearing the market with 993 units, Caribbean Cement fell $2.50 to $47, with investors swapping 2,602 stock units. Eppley climbed $1.90 to $22.80 trading 1,035 units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund declined $5.99 to $44.01, with 460 stock units crossing the exchange, Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 78 cents to close at $19.07, in exchanging 5,881 stock units. JMMB Group fell $1.93 to $29.07 in transferring 32,554 shares, Key Insurance lost 60 cents to close at $9.01 after exchanging 44,129 stock units, Mayberry Investments declined 95 cents to close at $5.30 while exchanging 10 shares. Mayberry Jamaican Equities closed at $8, with a loss of 30 cents after 1,007,542 stocks passed through the market, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy fell $15 to $135, in trading 361 units, PanJam Investment fell $3.50 to $66, with investors switching ownership of 4,329 units. Proven Investments finished $2.45 lower at $36, with 20,251 stock units crossing the market, Pulse Investments shed 47 cents in ending at $4.53, with investors switching ownership of 277,932 shares, Scotia Group lost 40 cents to end at $49.48 after exchanging 9,525 stock units. Stanley Motta dropped 42 cents to $4.70, in transferring 10,411 units, Supreme Ventures rose $2 to $16, in trading 222,950 shares and Wisynco Group lost $1.38 to settle at $15.52, in exchanging 49,570 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.