Cargo Handlers hits 52 weeks’ high.
Trading slipped on the Junior Market on the first trading day of September, with 26 securities being active down from 30 on Friday as well as a fall in volume and value trading, leading to 10 advancing, 7 declining and 9 remained unchanged.
The market closed with the index rising 21.55 points to close at 3,272.02. A volume of 2,306,821 units valued at $10,660,960 changed hands, compared to 4,503,036 units valued at $56,383,723, on Friday.
IC bid-offer Indicator|At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading had 4 stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices, 3 closed with lower offers.
Trading closed with an average of 88,724 units for an average of $410,037 in contrast to 150,101 units for an average of $1,879,457 on Friday. Trading in August, averaged 244,613 units at $1,348,298 for each security traded.
At the close of trading, Access Financial closed with a loss of $1.82 at $41.50, trading 1,000 shares, AMG Packaging ended 1 cent higher at $1.94, with 27,913 stock units changing hands, Blue Power concluded trading at $5, swapping 87,428 units, CAC 2000 finished with a loss of 5 cents at $9, exchanging 1,640 shares, Cargo Handlers settled 50 cents higher to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $13, trading 100 shares. Caribbean Cream ended trading 21,839 shares, 30 cents higher to $6, Caribbean Flavours traded with 50,000 stock units $1 higher to $19, Caribbean Producers finished trading at $6.50, with 787,109 units changing hands, Consolidated Bakeries closed at $2.50, exchanging 5,200 shares. 
Derrimon Trading ended with a loss of 1 cent at $23, trading 20,000 shares, Everything Fresh rose 10 cents trading 747,370 shares to end at $2.20, Express Catering ended trading 16,578 shares with a loss of 18 cents to $8, FosRich Group traded at $2.99, with 41,661 shares changing hands, General Accident finished trading 12,100 shares 5 cents higher at $3.85, with. Indies Pharma traded at a new high of $2.80 but pulled back to close at $2.69 after adding 9 cents and exchanging 141,895 shares, Iron Rock concluded trading of 17,500 shares and rose 5 cents to $3.25, Jetcon Corporation ended trading with a loss of 2 cents at $4, in exchanging 59,711 stock units, 
Lasco Distributors ended with a loss of 5 cents at $4, with 34,918 shares changing hands, Lasco Financial concluded trading 1,737 stock units at $5.80. Lasco Manufacturing finished at $3.90, with 49,500 units, Main Event settled with a loss of 1 cent at $7.10, with 207 shares changing hands, Medical Disposables ended trading with a loss of 1 cent at $6.67, with 15,300 shares, after trading earlier at a 52 weeks’ high of $6.70, Paramount Trading climbed 40 cents higher to $3, trading 3,000 shares, Stationery and Office finished trading at $8.50, with 6,157 stock units and tTech ended 50 cents higher at $6, after 11,000 shares changed hands.
Prices of securities trading for the day are those at which the last trade took place.
The Jamaican stock market, scaled new heights last week, helped by 
Both the Jamaica Stock Exchange, main and Junior markets reached higher levels during the past week, with the main market hitting a series of new record highs. The coming weeks should see more gains as investors seek out opportunities as fixed interest returns have tanked. 
The company is in the process of another acquisition, this time overseas, this should continue to help boost profit going forward. Fosrich posted good second quarter results and is on target to reach IC Insider.com’s forecasted earnings of 30 cents per share. Fosrich too, could be making an acquisition later this year, or early 2019, unofficial, but credible reports suggest. JMMB Group posted good first quarter results with a 59 percent increase in net profit. Some of the strong gains came from the relatively sharp fall in the value of the Jamaican dollar in the period that is not expected to continue.
Work done by IC Insider.com suggests that the PE ratio is likely to end 2018 around 16 to 18 times earnings, as investors continue to upgrade the multiple they are prepared to pay for stocks, which would lift prices sharply over the next several months from current levels. The latest government bond offer with a 4.58 years tenor, was heavily oversubscribed, resulting in rates dropping to 3.95 percent, suggesting that investors are satisfied that the economic policies will continue to lead to low inflation for a considerable time. These rates suggest more funds will be going into stocks as liquidity remains high in the financial system.
TOP 10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns within a 12 months period. Stocks are selected based on projected earnings for each company’s current fiscal year. Based on an assumed PE for each, the likely gains are determined and then ranked, with the stocks with the highest potential gains ranked first followed by the rest, in descending order. Potential values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Earnings per share are revised on an ongoing basis based on new information received that can result in changes in and out of the list as well.
Trading picked up on the Junior Market with 30 securities being active up from 27 on Thursday leading to 14 advancing, 8 declining and 8 remained unchanged.
At the close of trading, Access Financial traded 483 shares and closed 32 cents higher at $43.32, AMG Packaging gained 3 cents to end at $1.93, trading 5,976 stock units, Blue Power concluded trading at $5, with 14,091 units changing hands, Cargo Handlers ended 50 cents higher to close at $12.50, trading 7,520 stock units, Caribbean Cream settled 40 cents higher at $5.70, exchanging 50,000 shares, Caribbean Flavours ended trading with a loss of 1 cent at $18, with 1,108,594 shares changing hands. Caribbean Producers traded 1,265,538 shares with a loss of 30 cents at $6.50, Derrimon Trading closed 50 cents higher at $24, exchanging 1,031,000 shares, Dolphin Cove finished with 8,090 shares changing hands and rose 50 cents to $17, Elite Diagnostic ended with a loss of 9 cents at $3.01, trading 31,215 shares, Everything Fresh fell 2 cents in trading 250,585 shares to end at $2.10, Express Catering concluded trading 13,125 shares and rose 17 cents to close at $8.18. FosRich Group finished at $2.99, with 3,000 stock units changing hands, General Accident settled with a loss of 65 cents at $3.80, with 103,000 units traded,
GWest Corporation ended trading 10,000 shares, with a loss of 6 cents to $2.12, Honey Bun traded with a loss of 13 cents at $4.30, exchanging 67,455 shares. Indies Pharma traded 867,462 shares but fell 10 cents to end at $2.60, Iron Rock finished trading with a loss of 5 cents at $3.20, in exchanging 37,200 shares, ISP Finance closed $4 higher at $20, with 1,367 stock units changing hands, Jamaican Teas ended 21 cents higher at $4.20, with 33,821 unit being traded, Knutsford Express closed 10 cents higher at $12.60, with 20,000 shares changing hands, Jetcon Corporation concluded trading of 11,676 shares at $4.02, KLE Group settled at $3.30, with 1,400 shares trading, Lasco Distributors ended trading 15 cents higher at $4.05, with 2,595 stock units changing hands, Lasco Financial traded at $5.80, with 22,192 units, Lasco Manufacturing finished trading with a loss of 10 cents at $3.90, while exchanging 21,200 shares. Main Event closed at $7.11, with 23,654 shares changing hands, Medical Disposables climbed $1.58 higher to $6.68, with 32,868 shares, Stationery and Office finished 35 cents higher at $8.50, exchanging 19,132 units and tTech ended trading 30 cents higher at $5.50, as 73,800 shares changed hands.
l climbed $3 to end at $43, exchanging 89,300 shares, 
Jetcon Corporation traded with 40,767 stock units with a loss of 8 cents at $4.02, KLE Group finished trading 600 shares and rose 25 cents to $3.30. Knutsford Express closed at $12.50, in exchanging 7,250 shares, Lasco Distributors ended with a loss of 10 cents at $3.90, after exchanging 297,318 shares, Lasco Financial concluded trading with 134,226 stock units at $5.80, Lasco Manufacturing finished 10 cents higher at $4, with 582,909 units changing hands. Main Event settled 11 cents higher at $7.11, trading 11,000 shares, Paramount Trading traded 3,872 shares with a loss of 40 cents at $2.60, Stationery and Office finished trading 30,314 stock units with a loss of 20 cents at $8.15 and tTech ended 10 cents higher at $5.20, with 10,200 shares changing hands.
The Junior Market closed trading on Wednesday in a tug of war between advancing and declining stocks with the market ending with 12 each being up and down, as advancing stocks just having the upper hand in steering the market index higher. 
Trading closed with an average of 92,758 units for an average of $861,650 in contrast to 327,601 units for an average of $1,575,331 on Tuesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 262,510 units at $1,306,941, compared to 273,263 units at $1,335,149 on the previous trading day. Trading in July, averaged 154,060 units valued at $655,146 for each security traded.
Honey Bun lost 7 cents and ended at $4.43, with juts 1,000 units trading, Indies Pharma traded 269,311 shares and rose 20 cents to end the highest level since its recent listing at $2.70, Iron Rock concluded trading of 100,000 shares with a loss of 5 cents at $3.25, Jamaican Teas added 4 cents and settled at $3.99, with 3,430 shares. Jetcon Corporation ended trading 39,658 stock units with a gain of 10 cents to end at $4.10, Key Insurance traded 2,000 shares and rose 2 cents to close at $3.08, KLE group rose 5 cents to $3.05 trading 3,500 shares, Knutsford Express climbed $1 to close at $12.50, with 9,690 shares changing hands, Lasco Distributors rose 10 cents to $4, trading 21,231 shares, Lasco Financial rose 20 cents with 16,313 stock units trading at $5.80. Lasco Manufacturing rose 4 cents and closed at $3.90, with 81,358 units, Main Event settled at $7, in trading 3,000 shares, Stationery and Office ended trading 69,158 stock units after falling 50 cents to close at $8.35 and tTech closed 3 cents higher to $5.10, trading 2,172 units.
The average volume and value for the month to date amounts to 273,263 units at $1,335,149, compared to 269,588 units at $1,318,905 on the previous trading day. Trading in July, averaged 154,060 units valued at $655,146 for each security traded.
Iron Rock concluded trading of 5,000 shares with a loss of 20 cents at $3.30, Jamaican Teas settled at $3.95, with 5,000 shares. Jetcon Corporation ended trading 84,527 stock units with a loss of 5 cents to end at $4, Knutsford Express closed with a loss of $1 at $11.50, with 5,648 shares changing hands, Lasco Distributors ended with a loss of 1 cent at $3.90, with 7,868 shares, Lasco Financial concluded trading 1,638,268 stock units at $5.60. Lasco Manufacturing finished at $3.86, with 3,935 units, Main Event settled at $7, in trading 30,439 shares, Stationery and Office finished trading 21,349 stock units and gained 20 cents to close at $8.85, and Sweet River closed 16 cents higher at $3.86, with 875 units. In the junior market preference segment, Derrimon Trading ended 2 cents higher at a 52 weeks’ high of $2.52, with 1,000 stock units changing hands.
The stock worth watching this week is 
The Junior Market, put in a strong showing in Monday’s trading session and closed with the market index jumping 46.92 points to close at 3,239.34, with 24 securities changing hands, down from 26 securities changing hands on Friday. 
Access Financial closed trading of 19,338 shares at $45, AMG Packaging rose 5 cents to close at $1.95, trading 3,424 stock units, Blue Power concluded trading of 9,672 units at $47, Caribbean Flavours traded 710 stock units at $16, Caribbean Producers finished trading of 60,350 units 11 cents higher to $6.90. Derrimon Trading ended $4 higher at $25, exchanging 18,909 shares, Dolphin Cove concluded trading at $17, with 1,100 shares being exchanged, Elite Diagnostic gained 10 cents to end at $3.10, with 26,004 stock units changing hands, Eppley settled at $10.18, trading 7,800 units. Everything Fresh gained just 1 cent in trading 65,426 shares and ended at $2.21, Express Catering ended trading 22,033 shares and lost 30 cents to end at $8, FosRich Group traded 50,000 shares with a loss of 5 cents at $2.95, General Accident finished trading 185,258 shares and rose 5 cents to $3.85, GWest Corporation closed 10 cents higher at $2.10, in exchanging 30,756 stock units. 
Indies Pharma pulled back 4 cents in trading 539,221 shares to end at $2.50, Jamaican Teas settled with a loss of 30 cents at $3.95, trading 9,000 shares, Jetcon Corporation rose 4 cents to $4.05, in trading 42,069 stock units, KLE Group finished trading of 6,200 shares at $3, Lasco Distributors ended 6 cents higher at $3.91, with 12,000 shares changing hands. Lasco Financial concluded trading of 4,783 stock units and lost 30 cents to end at $5.60, Lasco Manufacturing finished 1 cent higher at $3.86, with 1,013,663 units changing hands, Main Event settled at $7, exchanging 9,692 shares, Stationery and Office finished trading 2,000 stock units and rose 5 cents to $8.65 and tTech ended with a loss of 43 cents at $5.07, with 9,900 shares changing hands.
The bullishness continued on Jamaica Stock Exchange, driving the main market to more record highs and hitting more than 352,000 points on Friday, while the Junior Market traded at a 15 months’ high. 
General Accident has been at the top of the Junior Market list for a long time, enjoyed a bounce in the price to $3.80 by the end of the week, helped by half year results that showed profit rising from $8 million in 2017 to $95 million in the half year, with the quarter up from a loss of $9 million to a profit of $66 after tax. IC Insider.com also down graded earnings for the full year to 45 cents per share and the stock now sits at 6th spot in the list. The PE is just 8.4 and will go higher.
Work done by IC Insider.com suggests that the PE ratio is likely to end 2018 around 16 or 17 times earnings, as investors continue to gradually upgrade the multiple they are prepared to pay for stocks, which would lift prices sharply over the next several months from current levels. In addition, the latest Treasury bill offer saw rates dropping to 1.7 percent on the 91 days instrument and 1.88 percent on the 182 days instrument. These rates suggest more funds will be going into stocks as liquidity remains high.
Based on an assumed PE for each, the likely gains are determined and then ranked, with the stocks with the highest potential gains ranked first followed by the rest, in descending order. Potential values will change as stock prices fluctuate and will result in movements of the selection in and out of the lists for most weeks. Earnings per share are revised on an ongoing basis based on new information received that can result in changes in and out of the list as well.
