The Main Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange closed higher for the sixth time out of the last seven trading days and recovered 47,260.76 points of the losses in March, to be up 13 percent from the recent lows of 375,091.09 points, reached on 25th of March on the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index.
JSE Main market continuing to bounce off resistance at 375,000 points reached on March 25.
At the close of the market on Friday, the JSE All Jamaican Composite Index jumped 4,851.68 points to 422,351.85, the JSE Market Index climbed 4,394.76 points to 384,905.24 and the JSE Financial Index added 1.51 points to 105.44.
The market closed with 47 securities changing hands in the Main and US dollar markets with prices of 25 stocks advancing, 15 declining and 4 securities trading firm. The JSE Main Market activity ended with 42 securities accounting for 33,384,287 units valued at $221,730,878, in contrast to 19,058,509 units valued at $80,731,137 from 40 securities on Thursday.
Trans Jamaican Highway led trading with 21.5 million shares for 64.4 percent of total volume, followed by Wigton Windfarm with 2.6 million units for 7.9 percent of the day’s trade and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 1.9 million units for 5.6 percent market share. Sagicor Select Manufacturing & Distribution Fund ended with 1.1 million shares and was the only other stock trading more than one million units.
The Market closed with an average of 794,864 units valued at an average of $5,279,307 for each security traded, in contrast to 476,463 units valued at an average of $2,018,278 on Thursday. The average volume and value for the month to date amount to 613,607 units valued at $3,409,226 for each security changing hands. 
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 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 two stocks closing with lower offers. The PE ratio of the market ended at 14.2, while the Main Market ended at 14.4 times 2020/21 earnings.
In the Main Market, Barita Investments climbed $5 to reach $58, with 41,623 shares changing hands, Berger Paints fell $3 to $11.50, after trading 24,768 units, Caribbean Cement added 54 cents to close $43.49, in swapping 61,554 shares. Eppley closed $1 higher at $16, with14,000 units crossing the exchange, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dropped $4 to end at $35, in trading a mere 200 units, First Rock Capital lost 50 cents to finish at $10, with a transfer of 17,200 units. Grace Kennedy shed 60 cents to close at $57 in exchanging 722,937 shares, Jamaica Broilers gained 52 cents, in swapping 291,710 shares to end at $32.52, Jamaica Producers picked up 41 cents to close at $19.11 after trading 5,891 units. Kingston Wharves closed 50 cents higher to finish at $44, with 21,556 units traded, 
MPC Caribbean Clean Energy advanced $5 to $140 after exchanging 1,512 stock units, NCB Financial Group climbed to $152.91, with gains of $2.66 with 265,789 shares changing hands. PanJam Investments fell by $2 to $76 in swapping 225,872 shares, Portland JSX shed 70 cents to finish at $7.30, with an exchange of 38,667 units, Proven Investments closed at $39.70, after rising $2.20 and trading 11,126 units. Sagicor Group picked up 81 cents to end at $48.75, in transferring 73,620 shares, Sagicor Real Estate Fund closed 45 cents lower at $7.25 with 81,200 stock units crossing the exchange, Salada Foods jumped $6 to $36, after exchanging 59,400 units. Seprod closed $1.50 higher to $49.50, with a transfer of 65,614 shares and Supreme Ventures gained 40 cents to end at $14.40, with 248,813 shares changing hands.
Prices of securities trading are those for the day’s last transaction unless otherwise stated.
The market closed with three stocks rising and two declining. The volume of stocks passing through the market rose to 827,966 shares valued at US$14,632 compared to 651,114 shares valued at US$42,388 on Thursday.
Firm Trades│ Clico Investments swapped 9,241 stock units at $21.50, Guardian Holdings traded 4,008 units at $17.93, Massy Holdings closed at $48, with 24,651 shares changing hands. NCB Financial had 224,118 shares transferred at $7.25, One Caribbean Media ended at $6.50 after exchanging 50 units, Republic Financial Holdings closed at $141.48, with 37,572 shares crossing the market. Scotiabank traded 16,699 units at $55, Trinidad Cement exchanged 839 stock units at $1.75 and Trinidad & Tobago NGL ended at $18.75, with a transfer of 16,529 stock units.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading shows six stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and three with lower offers.
Lasco Financial closed trading of 116,341 units and gained 2 cents to end at $3.24, Lasco Manufacturing closed 5 cents higher at $3.65, with 149,773 stock units trading, Limners and Bards closed with 6,055 units changing hands and gained 2 cents to end at $2.20. Lumber Depot gained 1 cent to end at $1.21, trading 171,387 shares, MailPac lost 30 cents in exchanging 22,001,550 shares to close at $1.60. Medical Disposables climbed $1.74 to settle at $8.24 with 511,971 shares changing hands. Paramount Trading rose 27 cents and exchanged 616,305 shares at $2.25, the stock closed trading with 1,735,965 units on the bid at $2 with only two offers to sell, on the board amounting to 35,000 shares at $2.50 and $3. SSL Venture closed 21 cents higher at $1.06, with 9,500 stock units trading and Stationery and Office Supplies closed 11 cents higher at $7, with 62,074 stock units trading.
The JSE Market Index climbed 2,911.92 points to 380,510.48 and the JSE Financial Index adding just 0.30 points to 103.93.
Trading in March resulted in an average of 1,146,245 units valued at $7,550,295 for each security.
Jamaica Producers fell by $2.31 to $18.70 after trading 35,872 shares, Jamaica Stock Exchange shed 50 cents to close at $22.50, with an exchange of 40,317 shares. JMMB Group closed 54 cents lower to $38, in swapping 171,356 shares, NCB Financial Group declined to $150.25, with a loss of $4.74 and trading 36,785 stock units. Proven Investments added 90 cents to finish at $37.50, with 11,664 units crossing the exchange, Scotia Group climbed $1.49 to $47.99 in transferring 18,664 units, Seprod closed 50 cents higher at $48, in exchanging 25,496 shares. Stanley Motta gained 80 cents in swapping 200 units and finished at $5.80, Supreme Ventures picked up 43 cents to end at $14, with 17,488 units changing hands, Sygnus Credit Investments closed at $18.90, with gains of $1.87 trading 12,280 stock units and Wisynco Group rose 60 cents to $13.90, with a transfer of 1,360,292 shares.
Thursday gains reduced the market losses for the year, from a high of 39.3 percent in March to 26.5 percent presently. At the close of market activities, prices of 16 securities advanced, eight declined and ten remained unchanged with 34 securities changing hands. Trading resulted in an exchange of 13,283,703 units for $24,888,541 compared to 7,297,716 units at $17,298,654 on Wednesday. The average PE ratio of the Junior Market ended at 9.1 based on 2020/21 earnings.
Caribbean Assurance Brokers rose 1 cent in trading 196,792 shares to close at $2.01, Caribbean Flavours shed 50 cents trading of 139 units at $10, Consolidated Bakeries ended with an exchange of 10,000 shares, after rising 6 cents to end at $1.38. Derrimon Trading closed 7 cents higher at $1.90, exchanging 10,100 stock units, Elite Diagnostic climbed 57 cents and closed at $3.87, with 27,924 stock units changing hands, Everything Fresh ended trading with 6,009 shares, after rising 19 cents to end at 84 cents. Fontana gained 20 cents to end at $5.50 with 163,657 shares crossing the exchange, Fosrich traded of 6,000 shares, after rising 32 cents to end at $2.90, General Accident ended with a loss of 1 cent at $5.71 with 2,100 stock units changing hands. Indies Pharma ended market activity after 22,547 shares changed hands to close at $2.40 after falling 5 cents. Iron Rock Insurance closed 50 cents higher at $3, trading 18,308 stock units, Jetcon Corporation fell 11 cents in trading of 187,000 units at 99 cents, Knutsford Express closed with 5,874 shares crossing the market after rising 55 cents to end at $9.20. Lasco Distributors close with a loss of 2 cents at $2.98, swapping of 26,344 shares, Lasco Financial closed with 5,700 units crossing the market to gain 22 cents and end at $3.22, Lasco Manufacturing ended 10 cents higher at $3.60, in trading 80,700 stock units. 
Limners and Bards climbed 28 cents and exchanged 61,233 shares at $2.18, Lumber Depot added 1 cent and swapped 3,106,285 shares at $1.20, MailPac rose 14 cents in trading 8,397,683 shares to close at $1.90. Main Event closed 90 cents higher at $5, with 9,729 stock units trading, Medical Disposables ended with a loss of 5 cents at $6.50, after swapping 157,053 shares. Paramount Trading closed 8 cents higher at $1.98, with 85,812 stock units trading, SSL Venture fell 19 cents in trading of 1,000 units to close at a 52 weeks’ low of 85 cents and Stationery and Office Supplies closed with a loss of 11 cents at $6.89 after 7,200 shares changed hands.
The Jamaica Stock Exchange, US dollar market, rose by 3.2 percent with the market index climbing 6.44 points to close at 208.70, with the year to date decline being 7.7 percent. At the close of trading, the PE ratio of the market was an average of 14.5 times 2020 earnings. 
The recent sharp decline of the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange in March and on Wednesday, slowed sharply on Thursday, with reduced trading activity as the market closed with eleven securities trading of which the prices of two rose and five declined, while four remained unchanged.
Republic Financial Holdings ended at $141.48, with a loss of 1 cent in swapping 650 stock units. Trinidad & Tobago NGL shed 25 cents to close at $18.75, after exchanging 27,043 units and Unilever Caribbean fell by 10 cents to a 52 weeks’ low of $18.90, with 589 stock units crossing the market.
Derrimon Trading shed 2 cents with ownership of 118,857 units being switched and closed at $1.83, Everything Fresh shed 12 cents in trading of 65,000 units at 65 cents. Fontana closed 31 cents higher at $5.30, with 874,689 stock units crossing the exchange, Fosrich declined 31 cents in trading of 50,250 units at $2.58, Honey Bun close market activity with a loss of 50 cents in ending at $6, after 68,861 shares changed hands. iCreate closed 2 cents higher at 53 cents, with 8,542 stock units trading. Iron Rock Insurance fell 50 cents in trading of 5,100 units at $2.50, ISP Finance climbed $2.50 to settle at $16 with 104 shares changing hands, Lasco Distributors closed trading of 47,412 units and gained 2 cents to end at $3. Lasco Financial closed trading of 81,600 units and gained 5 cents to end at $3, Lasco Manufacturing closed trading of 80,689 units and gained 32 cents to end at $3.50, Limners and Bards fell 38 cents in trading of 177,041 units at $1.90, Lumber Depot ended trading with 811,825 shares, after rising 1 cent to end at $1.19.
MailPac ended with 3,203,608 stock units changing hands, after rising 7 cents to end at $1.76, Main Event lost 42 cents in exchanging 10,093 shares to close at $4.10, Medical Disposables closed trading of 3,325 units and gained 4 cents to end at $6.55. Paramount Trading fell 4 cents to close at $1.90, after swapping 19,724 shares, SSL Venture closed 4 cents higher at $1.04, with 11,490 stock units crossing the exchange and Stationery and Office Supplies gained $1.30 to end at $7, trading 11,190 shares.
Stocks with the largest declines were, Massy Holdings, with a fall of $5, NCB Financial down $1.24, One Caribbean Media losing 45 cents, Scotiabank sliding $1.95 to $55 in swapping 81,671 shares and West Indian Tobacco declined by $3.81.
One Caribbean Media ended at 52 weeks’ low of $6.50, with a loss of 45 cents after exchanging 630 units. Scotiabank slid $1.95 to 52 weeks’ low of $55 in swapping 81,671 shares, Trinidad& Tobago NGL closed 26 cents lower to $19 exchanging 5,000 shares and West Indian Tobacco declined by $3.81 to a 52 weeks’ low of $30, with 3,000 stock units crossing the market.
