The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Stock Exchange bounced on Thursday with the leading market indices rose sharply with increased trading in volume and value of stocks changing hands.
At the close, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 2,590.28 points to 415,371.58, the JSE Market Index gained 2,375.74 points to 378,773.43 and the JSE Financial Index gained 1.09 points to 98.77. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.6, with the Main Market ending at 14.9 times IC Insider.com projected 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with 41 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 18 stocks advancing, 18 declining and five securities trading unchanged. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 38 securities accounting for 10,464,179 units valued at $256,434,655, in contrast to 7,513,787 units valued at $85,083,138 from 39 securities on Wednesday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 2.74 million shares for 26 percent of total volume, followed by Grace Kennedy with 2.2 million units for 21 percent of the day’s trade and Trans Jamaican Highway with 1.5 million units for 15 percent market share. Wisynco Group also traded more than a million units and ended with 1.1 million shares changing hands.
The average security trading on Thursday amounted to 275,373 units at $6,748,280, in contrast to 192,661 units valued at an average of $2,181,619 on Wednesday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 393,268 units valued at $5,612,672 for each security changing hands, compared to 405,183 units with an average of $5,483,471. Trading in May resulted in an average of 475,543 units valued at $3,077,280 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator│ At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows nine stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and six stocks closing with lower offers.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments fell by 45 cents to $49.50, in exchanging 15,194 units, Berger Paints closed with a rise of 74 cents to end at $12.74, with 5,500 units changing hands, Caribbean Cement rose 29 cents to $49.20 transferring 202,721 shares. Eppley traded 50 cents lower to settle at $16, with an exchange of 214 units, First Rock Capital shed 30 cents exchanging 50,916 stock units and closed at $14.90. Jamaica Producers lost 80 cents closing at $21.05, after swapping 113,603 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange fell 91 cents to $23.02, with an exchange of 7,261 units, Kingston Wharves closed rose $1.04 to $57, after 4,399 units changed hands. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy climbed $11 trading just one stock unit at $170, NCB Financial Group rose $3.59 to close at $143.59, with 258,736 shares crossing the exchange, Proven Investments declined by $1.65 to $32, in exchanging 64,206 stock units. Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 75 cents and closed at $7, after transferring 155,396 shares, Scotia Group dropped $3.99 to finish at $43.20, after trading 421,231 shares and Seprod fell 60 cents to $53, in transferring 94,887 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.