Fuel prices at the pumps in May 2015.
Inflation in Jamaica for 2016, fell to the lowest level in decades, with the Consumer Price Index showing inflation rate at just 1.72 percent for the year. The findings were released by Statistical Institute of Jamaica.
The inflation rate for 2017 could be even lower than that of 2016, if the historical patterns repeat. The 2016 out turn compares with 3.7 percent recorded for 2015. The rate for December 2016 was 0.3 percent and is just below the average of fiscal year-to-date movement of 3.1 percent to December 2016.
The rate for 2016 would have been even less, had it not been for increased taxes imposed by the government on a series of items in the first half of the year. The added increase from taxes should not recur in 2017 as revenues are running well ahead of target for the 2017 fiscal year and a pickup in growth should see a healthy increase in revenues for the new fiscal year.
In 2016, inflation in Jamaica, benefited from a continuation in tight fiscal policies, pursued by the government, but it would have been negatively affected by slippage in the exchange rate of the Jamaican dollar versus the US dollar. Moderation in energy prices helped as well.
Going forward, the country should continue to benefit from relatively low energy prices a more stable exchange rate of the Jamaican dollar as foreign exchange inflows remain strong.
Data going back to 2002 suggests that the first two months of the year tend to have flat to negative inflation. In 2015 inflation remained below the December 2014 level until April and just inching ahead in May. In 2016 it remained below the December 2015 level until July.
The main market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange, ceded some grounds to close out Tuesday ‘s trading. Advancing stocks being just below decliners. 
The average trade for the day in the main market ended at 138,833 shares compared to an average of 688,233 units traded on Monday. The average for the month to date, is 489,448 versus 840,062 units on the previous trading day, well below the average of 549,379 units, December ended with.
Pulse Investments traded 24,651 units and gained 50 cents to close at $4.50, but ended trading with the offer at $4. Radio Jamaica traded 337,368 shares to close at $1.28, Sagicor Group closed with 4,900 shares changing hands with a rise of 9 cents at $28.30, Scotia Group with 49,400 shares changing hands, rose 50 cents to close at $36.50, Scotia Investments fell 1 cent with 16,232 units trading, to end at $32.49. Seprod traded 21,012 shares but lost 89 cents in closing at $29.51, Supreme Ventures lost 14 cents in trading 37,216 units at $5.15 and Proven Investments traded 14,970 ordinary shares to close at 21.99 US cents.
The market closed with 5 stocks with bids higher than their last sale and 1 with a lower offer, than their last sale.
Investors bought 329,001 Jetcon Corporation shares with a gain of 50 cents to a new high of $9.50. Lasco Distributors ended with 28,000 units trading, to close at $7.20, Lasco Financial had 31,990 shares changing hands, to end at $3.65, with a 5 cents loss Lasco Manufacturing ended at $5.15, with 52,300 units trading. Medical Disposables closed at $4.50 with 4,650 shares changing hands, Paramount Trading ended with 154,637 shares changing hands at $3, with a loss of 12 cents and tTech traded 190,348 shares and rose 50 cents to close at record high of $6.50.
Activity on the Trinidad & Tobago Stock Exchange on Tuesday closed with 11 securities changing hands compared to 13 on Monday with 2 stocks advancing, 4 declining and 5 remaining unchanged.
closed at $58.70 and ending with a loss of 5 cents as 957 shares changed hands and Trinidad & Tobago NGL declined 15 cents to $20.30, traded 27,365 units valued at $555,565.
Cable & Wireless climbs 25 cents to $1.40 in early trading, with 382,466 units changing hands, but the main market indices slipped while the junior index just inched up in early trading on Tuesday. 
Securities changing hands exceeded that on Monday with 36 traded at 10:50 am, compared to 32 on Monday. A total of 14 securities advanced and 9 declined, resulting in a volume of 2,005,791 shares changing hands, carrying a value of $21,705,565, compared of 12,710,223 shares changing hands, carrying a value of $68,889,688 on Monday. The average number of shares traded, amount to 55,716 units versus 397,194 units on Monday.
Firm Trades| Grace Kennedy closed at $2.67 with 5,700 units changing hands, Republic Financial Holdings, with an exchange of 63 shares, closed at $108.43. Sagicor Financial held firm at $8.10 with 20,952 units being traded, Scotia Investments was unchanged at $2.10 with trades of 18,051 units, Scotiabank exchanged a mere 25 units to close at $58.75, L.J. Williams exchanged 5,400 shares, closing at 66 cents and West Indian Tobacco closed at $127.02 with 200 shares changing hands.
The average trade for the day in the main market ended at 688,233 shares compared to an average of 1,241,085 units traded on Friday. The average for the month to date, is 840,062 versus 991,892 units on the previous trading day, well below the average of 549,379 units, December ended with.
Sagicor Group closed with 254,756 shares changing hands with a loss of 83 cents at $28.21, Scotia Group with 35,233 shares changing hands, rose 98 cents to close at $36, Scotia Investments gained $1 with 114,529 units trading, to end at $32.50, Seprod traded 334,564 shares to gain 40 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $30.40. Supreme Ventures lost 11 cents and traded 3,224,068 units at $5.29, Proven Investments traded 25,000 ordinary shares to close at 21.99 US cents, JMMB US 6% preference share ended at US$1.09, with 36,325 units changing hands and JMMB 7.25% preference share ended at $1.50, with 64,216 units being traded.
The average for December is 131,147 units, at an average of $672,488.
Trading resumed at 11:38 to close with 298,610 units trading with a gain of $2 at a new closing high of $9. KLE Group ended with a loss of 30 cents as 5,193 units changed hands at $2.20. Lasco Distributors ended with 105,586 units trading, to close 17 cents higher at $7.20, Lasco Financial had 5,672 shares changing hands, to end at $3.70. Lasco Manufacturing ended at $5.15, with 1,732,918 units trading, Medical Disposables closed at $4.50 with 8,000 shares changing hands, Paramount Trading ended with 51,728 shares changing hands at $3.12 with a loss of 43 cents and tTech traded 180,684 shares and rose 10 cents to close at $6.
Cable & Wireless climbed to $1.12 with 426,500 units and then fell back to $1.05 with 499,382 units, JMMB Group had 1,122,175 shares trading at $15.30 and Supreme Ventures lost 32 cents and traded 3,205,834 units at $5.08.
The stock is selling well in excess of the average market and the next highest valued in the junior market, 
