Advancing and declining Junior Market stocks were evenly matched at the close of trading on Wednesday, after an exchange of 82 percent fewer stocks than Tuesday’s heightened level.
Trading ended with 31 securities changing hands compared to 33 on Tuesday and ended with the prices of 12 stocks rising, the prices of 13 stocks declining and six ended, with the prices remaining unchanged.
At the close, the Junior Market Index rose 41.15 points to settle at 2,644.56 and the average PE Ratio of the market ended at 10.6 based on IC Insider.com’s forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 1,895,699 shares for $7,143,931, compared to 10,650,793 units at $25,292,615 on Tuesday. Mailpac Group led trading with 446,158 shares for 23.5 percent of total volume, followed by Lumber Depot with 308,194 units for 16.3 percent of the day’s trade and Lasco Manufacturing with 178,175 units for 9.4 percent market share.
Trading ended with an average of 61,152 units at $230,449, in contrast to 322,751 at $766,443 on Tuesday. For the month to date, the average trade resulted in 141,956 units exchanged at $385,982, in comparison to 154,964 units at $411,094 on Monday. Trading in July resulted in an average of 248,153 units trading at $668,727 for each security.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows one stock ended with bid higher than their last selling price and four with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Access Financial dropped 89 cents in ending at $26.10, with 1,700 shares crossing the exchange, AMG Packaging slipped 20 cents to end at $1.54 trading 12,100 units, Blue Power gained 20 cents to end at $3.40 in exchanging 2,166 shares. Caribbean Assurance Brokers rose 9 cents to end at $2.24 while exchanging 19,410 stocks, Caribbean Cream advanced by 15 cents to settle at $4.25, with 35,001 stock units passing through the market, Caribbean Producers shed 4 cents to close at $2.40 trading 65,450 units. Derrimon Trading declined by 30 cents to settle at $2.70 with 70,079 shares changing hands, Elite Diagnostic carved out a gain of 45 cents in finishing at $3.65, while trading 5,000 shares. Express Catering climbed 45 cents to settle at $3.90, with 740 shares changing hands, Fontana shed 1 cent to end at $5.01 and clearing the market with 89,132 units, Fosrich advanced 20 cents and closed at $3.90 in exchanging 500 stocks. General Accident fell 1 cent in ending at $7.49, with 77,647 stocks passing through the market, iCreate gained 1 cent to settle at 63 cents trading 9,600 stock units, Indies Pharma dropped by 5 cents to end at $2.90 in exchanging 47,138 units. 
Jamaican Teas carved out a gain of 2 cents in closing at $5.02 and exchanging 100,297 shares, Knutsford Express increased 5 cents to close at $6.90 in trading 28,804 stocks.
Lasco Distributors climbed 1 cent and closed at $3.21, with 166,500 stock units changing hands. Lasco Manufacturing lost 13 cents to settle at $3.77 in trading 178,175 stock nits, Limners and Bards slipped 11 cents to $2.79 after 9,680 stock units passed through the market, Lumber Depot gained 3 cents to end at $1.04, with 308,194 shares clearing the market. Mailpac Group fell 5 cents to close at $2.10, with 446,158 stock units crossing the market, Medical Disposables lost 7 cents to finish at $4.93 with 205 stock units changing hands, SSL Venture lost 3 cents to end at 75 cents finishing with an exchange of 12,412 stock units and tTech declined by $1.20 to close at $4.75 in exchanging 28,090 stock units.
In the preference shares segment, Derrimon Trading preference shares rose 20 cents to close at $2 in an exchange of 5,000 stock units.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with eleven securities trading with one advancing, five declining and five remaining unchanged. The market closed with just 31,676 shares valued at $665,454 trading, compared to 211,903 shares for $10,538,543 on Tuesday from 15 securities.
Trinidad and Tobago NGL shed 25 cents to finish at $17.25, after exchanging 13,573 shares and West Indian Tobacco suffered a loss of $3 to finish at $36, with a mere 10 units crossing the market.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and six with lower offers.
Indies Pharma climbed 5 cents to end at $2.95 with an exchange of 17,662 units, Iron Rock Insurance fell 5 cents to $3.40, with 1,935 shares crossing the exchange, Jetcon Corporation lost 1 cent to end at $1 after trading 3,238 stocks. Knutsford Express fell 5 cents in closing at $6.85 with investors switching ownership of 32,852 stocks, Lasco Distributors dropped by 5 cents to end at $3.20, with 779,939 stock units crossing the market, Lasco Financial advanced by 5 cents to close at $2.35, after exchanging 3,430,200 shares. Lasco Manufacturing carved out a gain of 20 cents in closing at $3.90 changing hands 137,491 units, Limners and Bards dropped by 6 cents to settle at $2.90, with 196,444 shares changing hands, Lumber Depot carved out a loss 3 cents to end at $1.01 in exchanging 362,184 stocks. Medical Disposables gained 7 cents to close at $5, with 9,906 stock units changing hands, SSL Venture fell 9 cents in closing at 78 cents in trading 10,000 stock units and tTech declined by 80 cents to close at $5.95 trading 7,397 units after the company reported lower revenues and profit for the June quarter.
At the close of the market, the All Jamaican Composite Index carved out a loss of 2,268.81 points to settle at 402,943.87. The JSE Main Index fell 2,044.31 points to end at 367,809.77, the JSE Financial Index fell 0.24 points to settle at 94.83.
The day ended with 269,280 units on average trading at $1,129,730 for each security, in comparison to an average of 308,397 shares at $1,154,272 on Monday. The average traded for the month to date is 360,995 units at $1,596,828 for each security, in contrast to 378,165 units at $1,684,276 on Monday. Trading month to date compares well to July with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
Key Insurance fell 50 cents to end at $7, with 34,354 shares passing through the market. NCB Financial Group climbed $3.45 to end at $137 after 79,513 shares crossed the exchange, 138 Student Living rose 60 cents to $6.60, finishing trading with 3,119 stock units, PanJam Investment fell $1.26 to $66.74, with an exchange of 11,013 shares, Proven Investments advanced by 40 cents to close at $35.40 trading 151 units. Sagicor Groupfell $1.41 after closing at $39.10 and exchanging 39,769 stocks, Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 84 cents to end at $8 in trading 10,098 units, Salada Foods climbed $1 to close at $28 and clearing the market with just 200 shares. Scotia Group gained $3.30 to close at $47.50, finishing trading of 7,124 shares, Seprod fell $1.96 to close at $55 after exchanging 31,637 stocks and Stanley Motta declined by 38 cents to settle at $4.75 in trading 15,000 shares.
Proven Investments lost three-tenths of a cent to close at 24.5 US cents, with 2,425 units crossing the market Sterling Investments increased six-tenths of a US cent to close at 2.85 US cents trading 5,500 units. Sygnus Credit Investments dropped by 1.8 US cents to settle at 15.2 US cents in an exchange of 229 units and Transjamaican Highway closed at 0.95 of a US cent while exchanging 4,000 stock units.
The market closed with fifteen securities trading with one advancing, five declining and leaving nine unchanged. Trading resulted in 211,903 shares valued at $10,538,543 changing hands, compared to 70,293 shares for $1,363,080 on Monday from 11 securities.
JMMB Group settled at $1.90, with a loss of 3 cents trading 63,486 shares and Prestige Holdings shed 15 cents in exchanging 1,453 stock units and closing at $8.20.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows three stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
iCreate settled at 61 cents, with a gain of 1 cent and 298,692 shares crossing the market, ISP Finance shed 80 cents to settle at $15, with 129 units passing through the market. Jamaican Teas rose 1 cent to $5, with investors switching ownership of 43,500 stock units, Knutsford Express declined 98 cents to close at $6.90 in an exchange of 1,840 stock units, Lasco Distributors gained 20 cents, in closing at $3.25 with 7,768 stocks changing hands. Lasco Financial lost 5 cents to end at $2.30 trading 47,768 stock units, Limners and Bards declined by 4 cents to settle at $2.96 as investors swapped 185,204 shares, Lumber Depot fell 2 cents to $1.04, in an exchange of 806,750 shares. MailPac Group gained 1 cent to end at $2.15, after trading 543,553 shares, Medical Disposables shed 26 cents to settle at $4.93, with 7,531 units crossing the market and tTech rose 25 cents to end at $6.75 trading 10,097 units.
An average of 378,165 units traded for the month to date at $1,684,276 for each security, in contrast to 394,720 units at $1,810,039. Trading month to date compares adversely to July that ended with an average of 392,128 shares for $2,444,356.
First Rock Capital lost 51 cents to end at $13.50, clearing the market with 3,913 stock units, Jamaica Producers Group carved out a gain of $1.10 to close at $23.85 after exchanging 18,550 stock units, Jamaica Stock Exchange rose 95 cents to settle at $23.95, with 55,562 stock units crossing the exchange. Key Insurance fell by $1 closing at $7.50, with 10,894 units changing hands, Kingston Wharves rose $2.80 ending at $53.80 with an exchange of 768 units, NCB Financial Group dropped $4.45 to end at $133.55 while trading 32,645 units. Palace climbed $222.83 to $1,783.83 and 9 stock units passing through the market, Sagicor Group dipped $1.49 to settle at $40.51 exchanging 44,579 units. Sterling Investments lost 30 cents to end at $2.70 with investors swapping 932 shares and Wisynco Group gained 39 cents to end at $17.99 with an exchange of 28,333 stock units.
JMMB Group slipped 7 cents to $1.93, trading 21,542 stock units. Republic Financial Holdings closed 23 cents lower to $141.27 in exchanging 10 shares and Scotiabank settled at $54.90, having lost 9 cents, with 1,000 stocks changing hands.
At the close of the market, trading ended with five securities changing hands compared to six on Friday and ended with the prices of two stocks rising, two declining and one remaining unchanged.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the JSE US Dollar market shows two stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
