Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market ended on Tuesday, with the volume of stocks exchanged declining, with 58 percent more value than on Monday, resulting in trading of 14 securities, up from just six on Monday with prices of three rising, five declining and six ending unchanged.
a total of 157,281 shares were traded, for US$16,865 compared to 165,305 units at US$10,692 on Monday.
Trading averaged 11,234 units at US$1,205 versus 27,551 shares at US$1,782 on Monday, with a month to date average of 16,129 shares at US$1,378. September ended with an average of 87,926 units for US$4,746.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index rose 4.63 points to end at 217.29.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.9. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ended with the bid higher than the last selling price and one stock with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share fell 0.02 of a cent in closing at 6.76 US cents after trading market 1,470 shares, Margaritaville dropped 0.01 of a cent in ending at 14.98 US cents after a transfer of 1,045 units, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy remained at US$1, with four stocks crossing the exchange. Productive Business Solutions ended at US$1.39 with a transfer of 4 stock units, Proven Investments ended at 20 US cents in switching ownership of 5,328 stocks, Sterling Investments advanced 0.14 of one cent to 2.25 US cents while exchanging 22,948 stock units. 
Sygnus Credit Investments J$ share popped 0.63 of a cent in closing at 15.63 US cents and exchanging 8 shares, Sygnus Credit Investments USD share declined 0.77 of one cent to 9 US cents in exchanging 10,800 units, Sygnus Real Estate Finance USD share lost 2.93 cents to end at 10 US cents as investors exchanged 4,600 stocks. Transjamaican Highway remained at 1 US cent in trading 107,110 stock units.
In the preference segment, Productive Business 9.25% preference share ended at US$10.50, with 650 shares crossing the market, Equityline Mortgage Investment preference share remained at US$1.85 with an exchange of 3 units, JMMB Group 5.75% shed 1 cent in ending at US$1.75, with 3,123 stock units changing hands and JMMB Group 6% rallied 9.8 cents in closing at US$1.078 with investors transferring 188 units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading expansion for JSE USD stocks
JSE USD trading drops
Trading dropped sharply from Friday’s levels to start October on a down note on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market on Monday, with the volume of stocks exchanged declining 96 percent compared to Friday, with 79 percent lesser valued, resulting in the trading of six securities, compared to seven on Friday with one rising, three declining and two left unchanged.
Investors traded 165,305 shares for US$10,692, compared to 3,796,627 units at US$51,064 on Friday.
Trading averaged 27,551 shares at US$1,782, down from 542,375 units at US$7,295 on Friday. September ended with an average of 87,926 shares for US$4,746.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index lost 2.89 points to end at 212.66.
The PE Ratio, a measure used to compute appropriate stock values, averages 8.9. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows no stock ended with a bid higher than the last selling price and two with lower offers.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share declined 0.04 of a cent to 6.78 US cents, with 33,107 shares changing hands, Proven Investments remained at 20 US cents, with 13,261 stock units crossing the market, Sygnus Real Estate Finance USD share gained 0.56 of one cent to end at 12.93 US cents with an exchange of 153 stocks and Transjamaican Highway fell 0.02 of a cent in ending at 1 US cent in trading 118,065 units.
In the preference segment, Productive Business 9.25% preference share ended at US$10.50 with 419 units clearing the market and JMMB Group 6% shed 10.99 cents in ending at 98 US cents trading 300 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Access jumps ICTOP10 with 24% gains
Access Financial leaves the ICTOP10 this past week following the prior week’s 12 percent gain to $22.30 and a sizable 24 jump in the past week to close at $27.72, with 38,331 shares trading on Friday and leaving just nine lots being offered for sale at the close.
Access Financial Services head office.
For the first time in weeks, Access had more bids at the close on Friday than offers, a positive sign for more gains ahead. With month end window dressing, it is unclear what the coming weeks may hold for this stock.
For the overall market, there are positive signs for the market. Despite Jamaica’s central bank having overdone interest rate increases, investors continue to pump more money into local stocks, Jamaica Stock Exchange data show. Main and Junior market stocks closed September higher than August, with funds accompanying trading substantially higher in each case. These are positive signals for the months ahead for the markets, with the Main Market having the lowest monthly trade of less than $2 million in July, with January the next lowest with $2.7 million.
Action in IC TOP10 stocks had some strong gains in the Junior Market the past week, with Lasco Distributors gaining 9 percent this past week to $3.10, Elite Diagnostic climbing 6 percent to $3.50, Lasco Financial gaining 5 percent to $2.83 as Caribbean Cream dropped 8 percent to $4.12.
In the Main Market, Productive Business Solutions rose 5 percent to US$1.39, Key Insurance gained 4 percent to $3.50, but Berger Paints shed 9 percent to $10, followed by Caribbean Producers, with a 6 percent to $13.14.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6.2, well below the market average of 14.2, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.9 versus the market at 12.8, important indicators of the level of undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 246 percent and the Main Market TOP10 s projected to gain an average of 243 percent, by May 2023.
The Junior Market currently sells at an average PE of around 12.8 but already there are 13 stocks representing 25 percent of the market, with PEs from 16 to 36, averaging 22. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18. The data shows the extent of potential gains that the TOP 10 stocks possess. The situation in the main market is similar, with the 15 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 16 to 100, averaging 27.5 and 22 excluding the highest valued one.
Currently, the Junior Market reflects a positive positioning and is poised to move higher in the weeks ahead. The recent negative clouds that hang over the main markets seem to be lifting with the market index slowly bouncing off a recent bottom.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners. The list includes some of the best listed companies but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
New listing for JSE US dollar market
Productive Business 9.25% preference share was added to the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market this week with the trading on Friday and rising by the close. The volume of stocks traded in the overall market on Friday, climbed 17 percent, with 8 percent less value than on Thursday, resulting in seven securities traded, similar to Thursday and ended with three rising, four declining and none ending unchanged.
Overall, 3,796,627 shares were traded for US$51,064 compared to 3,235,927 units at US$55,292 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 542,375 shares at US$7,295 versus 462,275 units at US$7,899 on Thursday, with a month to date average of 87,926 shares at US$4,746 versus 68,044 units at US$4,634 on the previous trading day. August ended with an average of 53,206 units for US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index lost 0.66 points to end at 215.55.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.9. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ended with a bid higher than the last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share shed 0.08 of a cent to end at 6.82 US cents in swapping 6,367 shares, 
Proven Investments fell 1 cent to 20 US cents with a transfer of 500 units, Sterling Investments popped 0.02 of a cent to 2.11 US cents after trading 28,086 stock units. Sygnus Credit Investments USD share lost 1.21 cents to close at 9.77 US cents, with 2,000 stocks crossing the exchange and Transjamaican Highway gaining 0.03 of a cent to end at 1.02 US cents after exchanging 3,757,139 units.
In the preference segment, the newly listed Productive Business 9.25% preference share rose US$0.50 to a new high of US$10.50 with investors transferring 894 stock units and JMMB Group 5.75% declined 4 cents to US$1.76 after exchanging 1,641 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
6 days of gains for JSE US dollar market
The Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market rose for a sixth consecutive on Thursday, with a 175 percent rise in the volume of stocks exchanged, and a 214 percent rise in value over Wednesday, resulting in the trading of seven securities, compared to eight on Wednesday, with four rising, one declining and two ending unchanged.
Investors traded 3,235,927 shares for US$55,292, sharply up from 174,023 units at US$17,600 on Wednesday.
Trading averaged 462,275 units at US$7,899 from 21,753 shares at US$2,200 on Wednesday, with a month to date average of 68,044 shares at US$4,634 compared to 50,007 units at US$4,485 on the previous trading day. August ended with an average of 53,206 units for US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index gained 6.54 points to end at 216.21.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 9. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows no stock ending with a bid higher than the last selling price and one with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share climbed 0.97 of one cent to 6.9 US cents after exchanging 159,937 shares, Productive Business Solutions increased 6.75 cents to US$1.39 after 681 units were traded, 
Proven Investments rose 2 cents to close at 21 US cents with investors trading 61,193 stocks. Sygnus Credit Investments USD share remained at 10.98 US cents as investors exchanged 10,564 stock units, Sygnus Real Estate Finance USD share dropped 0.01 of a cent to end at 12.37 US cents with the swapping of 3,545 stocks and Transjamaican Highway rallied 0.06 of a cent to end at 0.99 of one US cent after a transfer of 3,000,000 shares.
In the preference segment, Eppley 6% preference share ended at US$1.13 after 7 units were traded.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
JSE US dollar market gains
Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market ended on Wednesday, with the volume of stocks exchanged by investors rising 19 percent, with a 36 percent lesser value than on Tuesday, resulting in the trading of eight securities, compared to seven on Tuesday with one rising, two declining and five ending unchanged.
Overall, 174,023 shares were traded for US$17,600 compared to 145,974 units at US$27,536 on Tuesday.
Trading averaged 21,753 units at US$2,200 compared with 20,853 shares at US$3,934 on Tuesday, with a month to date average of 50,007 shares at US$4,485 down from 51,566 units at US$4,611 on the previous day. August ended with an average of 53,206 units for US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index gained 0.98 points to end at 209.67.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.4. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows one stock ended with the bid higher than the last selling price and one with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share slipped 0.07 of a cent to 5.93 US cents after trading 140,971 shares, Productive Business Solutions ended at US$1.3225 with one stock unit changing hands, Proven Investments remained at 19 US cents, with an exchange of 27,877 units. Sterling Investments dipped 0.01 of a cent to 2.09 US cents, with 70 stocks clearing the market and Sygnus Credit Investments USD share remained at 10.98 US cents with investors transferring 1,650 shares.
In the preference segment, Eppley 6% preference share ended at US$1.13 with an exchange of one stock unit, Equityline Mortgage Investment preference share ended at US$1.85 as investors exchanged one share and JMMB Group 6% rallied 4.99 cents to close at US$1.0899, with 3,452 stock units crossing the market.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Gains for JSE USD Market
Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market ended Tuesday, with the volume of stocks exchanged declining 48 percent with the value up 63 percent on Monday, resulting in seven securities traded, compared to eight on Monday, with three rising, one declining and three ending unchanged.
Overall, 145,974 shares were traded for US$27,536 compared to 278,103 units at US$16,872 on Monday.
Trading averaged 20,853 shares at US$3,934 versus 34,763 units at US$2,109 on Monday, with the month to date averaging 51,566 shares at US$4,611 versus 53,123 units at US$4,645 on the previous day. August ended with an average of 53,206 units at US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index rose 4.81 points to end at 208.69.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.7. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows no stock ended with a bid higher than the last selling price and one with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share rose 1 cent in closing at 6 US cents after trading 30,925 shares, Margaritaville remained at 14.99 US cents with 12 stocks crossing the exchange, 
Productive Business Solutions ended at US$1.3225 after just 1 stock unit was traded. Proven Investments dipped 2 cents to end at 19 US cents in switching ownership of 110,453 stock units and Sygnus Credit Investments USD share climbed 0.01 of a cent in ending at 10.98 US cents, with 1,895 shares changing hands.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 5.75% remained at US$1.50, with one unit clearing the market and JMMB Group 5.75% increased 5 cents to US$1.80 after investors finished exchanging 2,687 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
Trading dropped on the JSE USD market
Trading slipped on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market on Monday, with a 41 percent decline in the volume of stocks exchanged as the value dipped 45 percent lower than in market activity on Friday, resulting in eight securities changing hands, similar to Friday and ended with two rising, two declining and four ending unchanged.
Trading ended with 278,103 shares valued US$16,872 down from 468,198 units at US$30,924 on Friday.
Trading averaged 34,763 shares at US$2,109 compared to 58,525 units at US$3,866 on Friday, with a month to date average of 53,123 shares at US$4,645, down from 54,253 units at US$4,801 on the previous trading day. August ended with an average of 53,206 units for US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index gained 1.26 points to end at 203.88.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.5. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows no stock ending with a bid higher than the last selling price and none with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share remained at 5 US cents with 5,129 shares crossing the exchange, MPC Caribbean Clean Energy ended at US$1 after exchanging 22 units, Proven Investments closed at 21 US cents after finishing trading 67,536 stock units. 
Sterling Investments ended at 2.1 US cents after a transfer of 300 stocks, Sygnus Credit Investments J$ share advanced 0.01 of a cent to 15 US cents while exchanging 529 units, Sygnus Credit Investments USD share gained 0.01 of a cent to 10.97 US cents trading 3,130 stock units and Transjamaican Highway shed 0.01 of a cent in closing at 0.93 of one US cent after 200,650 stocks crossed the market.
In the preference segment, JMMB Group 6% fell 1 cent to end at US$1.04 with an exchange of 807 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
CAC 2000 ICTOP10 top performer
Junior Market IC TOP10 stocks had some strong gains in the past week and losses that were lower than the gains, but Main Market stocks were more stable, with minor price changes while Lasco Financial in the Junior Market replaced Iron Rock Insurance.
CAC 2000 was the star performer in the Junior Market during the week, jumping 20 percent to $8.30, after dropping 14 percent in the previous week to $6.90. Caribbean Assurance Brokers declined 15 percent last week to $2.30, rebounded 13 percent to $2.60 and Access Financial recovered from a 9 percent decline last week, gaining 12 percent to $22.30. Elite Diagnostic climbed 8 percent to $3.58 last week, but fell 8 percent to $3.31, Lasco Distributors gained 5 percent last week to $3.10 but could not hold on and slipped 8 percent to $2.84 and Caribbean Cream jumped 18 percent last week to $4.70, fell 5 percent to close at $4.47.
In the Main Market Guardian Holdings rose 5 percent to $520, Berger Paints gained 4 percent to percent but Key Insurance fell 7 percent to $3.36 and Sygnus Credit Investments declined 5 percent to $13.08.
At the end of the week, the average PE for the JSE Main Market TOP 10 is 6.2, well below the market average of 13.9, while the Junior Market Top 10 PE sits at 5.9 versus the market at 12.8, important indicators of the level of undervaluation of the ICTOP10 stocks. The Junior Market is projected to rise by 245 percent and the Main Market TOP10 s projected to gain an average of 239 percent, to May 2023.
The Junior Market currently sells at an average PE of around 12.8 but already there are 15 stocks or a third of the market, with PEs from 16 to 33, averaging 21. The top half of the market has an average PE of 18. This data shows how much potential gains are in the top 10. The situation in the main market is similar, with the 15 highest valued stocks priced at a PE of 15 to 84, averaging 25 and 21 excluding the highest valued one.
Currently, the Junior Market is slightly negative but is poised to move higher in the weeks ahead but the main market is under negative clouds that could send the market index lower as NCB Financial and other financial companies continue to trade with inadequate support.
ICTOP10 focuses on likely yearly winners, accordingly, the list includes some of the best companies in the market but not always. ICInsider.com ranks stocks based on projected earnings, allowing investors to focus on the most undervalued stocks and helping to remove emotions in selecting stocks for investments that often result in costly mistakes.
IC TOP10 stocks are likely to deliver the best returns up to the end of May 2023 and are ranked in order of potential gains, computed using projected earnings for the current fiscal year. Expected values will change as stock prices fluctuate and result in weekly movements in and out of the lists. Revisions to earnings are ongoing, based on receipt of new information.
Persons who compiled this report may have an interest in securities commented on in this report.
Trading climbs on the JSE US dollar market
Trading on the Jamaica Stock Exchange US dollar market ended on Friday, with the volume of stocks exchanged rising 109 percent, valued 15 percent lower than in trading on Thursday, resulting in action in eight securities, compared to four on Thursday with three rising, one declining and four ending unchanged.
Overall, 468,198 shares were traded for US$30,924 compared to 223,783 units at US$36,555 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 58,525 shares at US$3,866 versus 55,946 units at US$9,139 on Thursday, with the month to date averaging 54,253 shares at US$4,801 versus 53,973 units at US$4,863 on the previous trading day. August ended with an average of 53,206 units for US$7,288.
The JSE US Denominated Equities Index gained 0.96 points to end at 202.62.
The PE Ratio, a measure used in computing appropriate stock values, averages 8.5. The PE ratio uses ICInsider.com earnings forecasts for companies with financial years ending between November and August 2023.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows no stock ended with a bid higher than the last selling prices and none with a lower offer.
At the close, First Rock Real Estate USD share remained at 5 US cents, with 301,294 shares crossing the market, 
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy ended at US$1 with a transfer of 2 stock units, Proven Investments popped 1 cent to 21 US cents and closed with 44,288 units changing hands. Sygnus Credit Investments USD share advanced 1.96 cents to close at 10.96 US cents, with 1,963 stocks clearing the market and Transjamaican Highway gained 0.04 of a cent in closing at 0.94 of one US cent as investors exchanged 117,255 stocks.
In the preference segment, Eppley 6% preference share ended at US$1.13 after exchanging 15 shares, JMMB Group 5.75% fell 5 cents to close at US$1.75, with 2,881 stock units crossing the exchange and JMMB Group 6% remained at US$1.05 in switching ownership of 500 units.