Victoria Wealth Management

Scotia Premium Growth up 37% in 2017

Scotia Investments was the top performing unit trust in 2017.

The Jamaica stock market enjoyed strong growth between 2015 and 2017 with several stocks recording more than 100 percent gains in each of the years. The vast majority of Jamaicans have not participated in the gains offered by the market.
The vast majority of Jamaicans have not enjoyed the benefits of investing directly in the stock market because they do not fully understand it while some are just scared to lose their money. Many investors have taken the hassle or concerns out of investing directly in stocks by investing in equity based unit trust schemes that have delivered better gains than those in the fixed income market.
For while the combined market index of the Jamaica Stock Exchange racked up gains of 43 percent in 2017, the top performing equity based fund, Scotia’s Premium Growth Fund recorded gains of 37 percent for their investors in 2017 on top of a 25 percent gain in 2016. The Scotia Fund displaced Barita’s Capital Growth Fund, the 2016 front runner that ended at number 6 in 2017, delivering a 21.5 percent return, down slightly from 26.7 percent in 2016
Many investors have benefit from the strong performance of the local stock market in a number of ways. Pension funds that a large number of Jamaicans are members of, hold shares of many companies on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE). There are also insurance company funds that rely on the shares as part of their investment portfolios. The National Insurance Scheme also invests in these companies and many more Jamaicans benefit from the market’s performance than they may be aware of. Others persons invest through unit trusts to enjoy the growth in the market and thus lower their risk. How does this work?

Barita Unit Trust equity drop from #1 in 206 to 6th spot in 2017 with a gain of 21.5%

A unit trust is a pooled investment scheme that allows anyone without expert knowledge and time to invest in a diverse portfolios of most stocks, to invest in them and therefore benefit from the gains that the funds can deliver. The investments, which comprise local and foreign equities, bonds, corporate paper, government securities, real estate, among others, are professionally managed to optimize gains for the investor.
Investing in a unit trust is an attractive option as the portfolios are not only diverse but they also cater to those with or without an appetite for risk. A few of the benefits to be derived are tax free gains, depending on the portfolio, lower levels of market volatility given the mix of securities in each portfolio as well as other perquisites.
From year to year, the performance of investments in equity based unit trust funds may in part reflect the highs and lows of the economy, the percentage share of investments in the local stock market shares and fixed income funds. Most importantly, the management of the funds can make a big difference as can be seen from the varied performance of funds in Jamaica. Additionally, in recent years there have been new players entering the market and new products being offered, thereby creating greater diversity so as to capture new investors and a greater share of the market of the non-investing market.
At present, there are eight schemes managed locally, namely Barita Unit Trust, JMMB Fund Managers, JN Fund Managers, NCB Capital Markets, Proven Fund Managers, Sagicor Investments, Scotia investments Jamaica and Victoria Wealth Management. All offer varied slate of funds denominated in Jamaican dollars and US dollars. Sagicor Investments has fifteen (15) portfolios, the most diverse of all, followed by Barita Unit Trust, JMMB and NCB, VM, Scotia and newcomer Proven.
Funds under management as at October 2017 stood at $229 billion with Sagicor still commanding the lion’s share with Scotia and NCB holding their double-digit portion while the others shared the remainder of the pie.
In the next article, IC Insider.com will look at the performance of the unit trust equities’ portfolio in 2017 compared to previous years to give investors a better view of the best performing funds.

One broker pulled juniors down

Mayberry sold small volumes several individual stocks with less than two minutes to close, pulling the prices down.

On Wednesday the main market pulled back a few points, having surged for much of the day, with triple digit gains. Thursday was the turn of the junior market to see an apparent closing, that was lower by a few points, with prices trimmed minutes from the close for a number of stocks. The Junior Market ended with 17 securities trading, the most for some time, if not for all times and ended with 296,055 units changing hands valued at $653,047.
The JSE Junior Market Index declined 2.59 points to close at 866.40, with the price of only 3 stocks advancing and 8 declining and 2 closing at 52 weeks’ high as Mayberry intervened with less than 2 minutes to close by selling a series of small amounts to push several junior market stock prices down.
For most of the day until after 12 noon, the index for the junior market was in record territory to an all-time high. In early morning session junior stocks had put on 13.39 points to 882.38 points a then record. Several very small trades executed on the sell side by Mayberry Investments at 12.52 pm pushed the prices of several stocks down.

Access closed at an all time high of $17 but with only 200 shares purchased by MIL for in house purposes from JMMB

Prior to these trades Mayberry crossed 50,000 Lasco Distributors at $1.50, bringing the price down by 20 cents at 12:18 o’clock from the close on Wednesday and sold 13,000 units to Victoria Wealth Management at the same price for the last trade in the stock for the day. At the close the stock had a bid to buy 106,000 units at $1.52.
At the close of the market, there were 3 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with lower offers. The junior market ended with 4 securities closing with no bids to buy and 7 securities that had no stocks being offered for sale.
Stocks trading in the junior market are, Access Financial trading at a new 52 weeks high of $17, but with just 200 units changing hands to gain $1.90, AMG Packaging ended with 2,115 shares changing hands, to close 5 cents lower, at $3.25. Blue Power traded 979 units to close with a gain of 99 cents at $9.80, to close at a 52 weeks’ high, Cargo Handlers finished with 5,000 units to close unchanged at $22.08, Caribbean Producers ended trading with 16,489 shares trading at $2.88. Consolidated Bakeries traded 968,369 units at $1 as the company reported first quarter results showing profit more than doubling from $4.6 million to $13.9 million.

General Accident Insurance concluded trading with 104,533 shares changing hands to close 7 cents lower at $2.08. Honey Bun had just one trade of a mere 2,729 shares with the price falling 40 cents, to $2.50, Jamaican Teas closed trading with 2,170 units and lost 25 cents to $2.65, Lasco Distributors traded 89,880 shares and dropped 20 cents to $1.50, Lasco Financial Services finished trading with 62,331 units, the price slipped 10 cents to $1.35. There was dealing in 9,629 Lasco Manufacturing’s shares as the stock traded lower by 1 cent to $1.34, Paramount Trading ended trading with 102,543 shares to end with an a fall of 28 cents at $3.71 and Derrimon Trading preference share finished traded just 1,000 shares to closed end up 25 cents at $2.25.