The junior market index slipped at the close on the first trading day of the new year on very moderate volume. At the end of trading the market index declined by 12.29 points to end at 2,581.42.
At the close, the prices of 2 stocks rose, 5 declined with 12 securities trading, compared to 16 trading on Friday. Volume of stocks traded dropped on Friday by 82 percent, from Friday’s level, ending with 294,809 units changing hands, valued at $1,529,067, down by 82 percent from $8,675,126 on Friday.
Market activities ended with 5 securities closing with bids higher than their last selling prices and one ending with a lower offer.
An average of 24,567 units with an average value of $127,422 traded, compared to 102,038 units with an average value of $542,195 on the preceding trading day. The average for December is 131,147 units, at an average of $672,488.
At the close of trading, Cargo Handlers closed at $18.50 with 1,379 units changing hands, Caribbean Cream had 19,700 units exchanged for 20 cents less than on Friday to end at $7.30. Caribbean Producers traded 45,331 shares to close at $3.30, Honey Bun had 2,735 shares changing hands to close at $5.68 after falling 17 cents. Iron Rock Insurance climbed 40 cents in trading 564,394 shares to end at $4,
Jamaican Teas lost 60 cents to end at $4.25 with 2,500 shares being exchanged. Key Insurance gained 20 cents to end at $2.80 with 55,524 units changing hands, KLE Group closed with 7,000 shares trading at $1.95. Lasco Distributors ended with 96,756 units trading with a fall of 4 cents to $7.01, Lasco Financial rose 8 cents with 6,294 shares changing hands, to end at $3.19, Lasco Manufacturing fell 10 cents and ended at $4.90, after 20,440 units switched hands, tTech traded 20,150 units at $5.30 and Eppley 9.5% preference share traded 17,000 units at $6.18.
Juniors slip first trading day for 2017
Tax break costing far less in year 1
Minister of Finance Audley Shaw who announced tax break for individuals.
According to the inflows of PAYE, the difference between inflows for 2015 amounted to $46 billion to November is only $3 billion more than the intake of $43 billion for the same period in 2016. Revenues lost monthly, since August, the first month that revenues would be affected by the lower tax payments is now running around $1.2 billion lower than in 2015, suggesting that the full impact for the current fiscal year will end up costing $9 billion instead of the $12.5 billion originally stated. The cost for a full year would be in the order of $14 billion.
According to Shaw, 251,000 persons would have benefit from the increased threshold. Revenues for Government of Jamaica fiscal operations to the end of November 2016 are $26 billion ahead of the similar period in 2015. For the current fiscal year, revenues are $13.8 billion ahead of forecast an amount that has already exceeded the amount forgone in income tax.
GOJ revenues $26B ahead of 2015
Minister of Finance Audley Shaw pulling in revenues ahead of target.
For the current fiscal year revenues are $13.8 billion ahead of forecast with nearly $5 billion of the surplus coming in November. Intake for the 8 months to November, came in at $304 billion compared with forecast of $290 billion. In May, Minister of Finance announced tax increases of just less than $14 billion that would mostly take full effect at the start of June, with some from mid-May. Revenues from the new measures to November, would be approximately $10 billion with $4 billion to be collected for the other 4 months of the fiscal year.
While revenues are ahead of forecast expenditure are lower than projected. Total expenditure are running $10.5 billion below target to November, of this amount capital expenditure is running $8 below target. Wages are $3.8 billion short of budget while interest cost is above target by $900 million.
Overall operations incurred a deficit of $11 billion compared with projection of a deficit of $26.6 billion leading to the primary surplus ending $25 billion better that forecast at $$63.6 billion.
3 new highs for Trinidad stocks
NCB closed at 52 weeks’ high on Tuesday on the TTSE.
Trading on Tuesday resulted in 8 securities changing hands compared to 11 on Friday. Market activity ended with 6 stocks rising, 2 declining while there were no stocks trading unchanged. A total of 162,833 shares being traded valued at $2,093,835 compared to 262,813 shares being traded, valued at $6,001,767 on Friday.
The Composite Index rose 1.04 points at 1,210.57, the All T&T Index lost 0.88 points to 1,833.35. The Cross Listed Index rose 0.41to end at 78.58 points with year to date gains of 55.65 percent.
IC bid-offer Indicator |The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 4 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 3 with lower offers.
Gains| Clico Investments Fund gained 18 cents in trading 63,956 units valued at $1,458,197 to close at $22.80, Guardian Holdings traded 2,500 units to close 1 cent higher at $12.66, National Commercial Bank added 10,000 shares to stocks that traded and gained 5 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $3.05. Point Lisas
traded 21,500 shares and gained 5 cents to end at $3.75, Sagicor Financial Corporation gained 7 cents with 47,548 valued at $371,083 to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $7.80 and Trinidad Cement traded 8,200 units with a rise of 5 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $4.45.< Strong> Losses| Angostura Holdings fell 25 cents to close at $14.75 as 5,131 units changed hands and National Flour Mills fell 12 cents to close at $2.40 with 4,000 units trading.
AJI starts 2017 with new record – Tuesday
The Jamaica Stock Exchange all Jamaica Composite Index jumped more than 1,900 points in early trading on Tuesday to break the 212,000 points level while the junior market slipped slightly..
Market activity resulted in 25 securities traded at 10:45 am, compared to 29 on Friday at 10:45 am. A total of 16 securities advanced and 5 declined, resulting in a volume of 2,173,726 shares changing hands, carrying a value of $ 28,865,298, compared 5,851,240 shares changing hands, carrying a value of $22,997,020 on Friday. The average number of shares traded, amount to 86,949 units versus 201,767 units on Friday.
The all Jamaica Composite Index surged 1,907.42 points to a record 212,046.91, the Jamaica Stock Exchange Market Index climbed 1,705.57 points to an all-time high of 193,982.21, the Jamaica Stock Exchange combined index jumped 1,495.61 points to a record high of 206,455.71 and the junior market index fell 8.36 to 2,585.35.
Cargo Handlers top Jamaican stock with 393% gain
Bulls pushing Jamaican stock to new highs.
Cargo Handlers surged with a gain of 393 percent in 2016 to be the top performing stock on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, ending the year at $18.50 after a 10 for 1 stock split earlier in the year. The stock which trades at a PE of 30 times IC Insider’s 2017 estimated earnings, is also one of the most highly priced on the market. Last year the company posted profits that rose from 25 cents per share in 2015 to 42 cents in 2016.
Honey Bun roared along with gains of 325% to close the year at $5.85 after hitting a high of $7.50 in response to a 5 for 1 stock split and rise in profits of 104.7 percent for 2016.
The 2016 listed ISP Finance, jumped 250 percent to close the year at $8.50 on the expectation of strong future profit growth. This is one of the few stocks that grew sharply without the benefit of a stock split.
AMG Packaging climbed to be fourth best performer, benefiting from expectation of profit to flow from their new tissue operation and latterly by an announcement of a 5 for 1 stock split. Interestingly, while AMG last price was $24.51, the bid has been at $26.50 for several days, an indication that it will trade above the last traded price for 2016. Paramount Trading gained a more moderate 233%, helped by its expansion of it lubricant manufacturing in a joint venture arrangement and a 10 for 1
Paramount
Jetcon Corporation that listed in March at $2.25 per share, jumped 167 percent by the end of the year to $6, propelled by a near doubling in profit over 2015.
Blue Power gained 129% to sit at 7 position then Palace Amusement ended with a gain of 122, tTech that listed in January 2016 ended at tenth spot with gains of 112% just edging out Margaritaville Turks with 111 percent at number 11. Knutsford Express with gains 108% was the only other stock in the overall market to rise by more than 100%.
Data by the Investor’s Choice going back several years to 1980, indicates that on average only 22 percent of stocks in the top 10 repeat in the subsequent year. AMG was the sole stock that was in the top 10 in 2015 to repeat in 2016. These are sobering data investors would do well to ponder.
Kremi & Lasco Financial in TOP 5
Investors’ activity in the junior market resulted in changes to the IC Insider’s TOP 5 list from that for December 9. AMG Packaging with gains of 38 percent and Blue Power with gains of 46 percent dropped off the list.
Caribbean Cream and Lasco Financial entered the top listing with potential gains based on fiscal year 2015/16 of 81 and 71 percent respectively.
Derrimon Trading fell back during the period to $3.55 to re-enter the list but has since shot up to $5.50 to be sitting well below the TOP 5 with gains of 77 percent since it entered the top 5 initially. Announcement that the company deposited money to acquire a large block of the shares in Caribbean Flavours spurred the move in the stock price.
In the IC Insider’s TOP 5, the candidates remain unchanged for the main market, with investors’ interest being focussed on other stocks in the main market.
The list comprises potential gains based on current estimated earnings which are likely to drive stock prices before the 2017 earnings start to have a full effect.
The 2017 list based on IC Insider’s earnings forecast is likely to vary quite a bit from those on the current list.
Trinidad Cement drops back to $4.15
TCL retreated from its recent record close of $5.50 to $4.15 on Tuesday
The market closed on Tuesday with 18 securities changing hands in contrast to 10 on Monday with 8 stocks advancing, 7 declining and 3 remaining unchanged. A total of 483,249 shares valued at $2,376,016 compared to Monday’s trades of 174,656 shares valued at $3,712,321.
The Composite Index climbed 6.45 points to 1,229.47, the All T&T Index slid 2.38 points to 1,827.69 and the Cross Listed Index gained 2.10 points to 84.54.
IC bid-offer Indicator|The Investor’s Choice bid-offer ended with 6 stocks with bids higher than last selling prices and 7 with lower offers.
Gains| Angostura Holdings added 3 cents and closed at $14.75 with an exchange of 14,100 units, Guardian Holdings rose 44 cents to $13.75 with trades of 10,000 shares, JMMB Group gained 5 cents to close at a new 52 weeks high of $1.25 with 173,162 shares being exchanged. National Commercial Bank gained 27 cents, closing at a 52 weeks’ high of $3.55 with 50,000 shares changing owners, Praetorian Property closed 5 cents higher, at $2.90 while trading 2,000 units. Sagicor Financial added 1 cent to close at $8.51 with an exchange of 14,294 shares, Trinidad & Tobago NGL closed at $21.02, gaining 2 cents with trades of 1,257 units and L.J. Williams B share advanced 5 cents to 71 cents with 93,650 units traded.
Losses| Berger Paints closed down 1 cent to $4.05 with 800 units traded, Clico Investment lost 1 cent to close at $22.51 after trading 3,777 shares, Massy Holdings dropped 30 cents, falling to $51.10 with trades of 14,243 valued at $727,818 and Republic Financial Holdings closed at $107.98, losing 21 cents with 46 units being exchanged. Scotiabank lost 5 cents to $58.70 trading 4,909 shares, Trinidad Cement fell 35 cents to $4.15, while exchanging 5,000 shares and Unilever Caribbean closed at $58.50 after sustaining a fall of $1.33 with 154 units changing hands.Firm Trades| First Citizens closed at $34 with 300 shares traded, Scotia Investments remained at $2.23 with 95,125 shares changing owners and West Indian Tobacco closed at $127 with 432 units switching ownership.
Junior market gains 45% for 2016
Blue Power closed at a new high of $30 on Friday.
At the close, the prices of 10 stocks rose, 3 declined with 16 securities trading, compared to 15 trading on Friday. Volume of stocks traded rose on Friday by 73 percent, from Friday’s level, ending with 1,632,612 units changing hands, valued at $8,675,126, up by 54 percent from $5,642,777 on Friday.
Market activities ended with 8 securities closing with bids higher than their last selling prices and none ending with a lower offer.
The year ended with thirteen stocks gaining more than the market average, including 3 gaining 325 percent or more,
2 more than 200 percent and 4 more than 100 percent.An average of 102,038 units with an average value of $542,195 traded, compared to 62,924 units with an average value of $376,185 on the preceding trading day. The average for December to date is 131,147 units, at an average of $672,488. The average for December to Thursday is 132,679 units, at an average of $679,346. November ended with an average of 109,679 units with an average value of $607,092.
At the close of trading, Blue Power jumped $3 to a new high of $30 with 10,000 shares changing hands, CAC 2000 gained 45 cents in trading 84,018 shares to close at $4.95, Cargo Handlers rose 50 cents to close at $18.50 with 7,986 units changing hands, Caribbean Cream had 33,000 units exchanged with a rise of 20 cents to end at $7.50. Caribbean Producers lost 20 cents in trading 430,299 shares to close at $3.30, Derrimon Trading ended at 52 weeks’ high of $5.50 with 126,306 shares changing hands, after rising by 10 cents, General Accident lost 20 cents with 23,682 units changing hands to close at $2.80.
Honey Bun had 13,936 shares changing hands to close at $5.85 after gaining 5 cents. Iron Rock Insurance climbed 40 cents in trading 564,394 shares to end at $4, Jamaican Teas gained 60 cents to end at $4.85 with 12,000 shares being exchanged. Jetcon Corporation closed at $6 with 42,800 shares trading, KLE Group recovered 3 cents and closed with 27,000 shares trading at $1.95, Knutsford Express rose 1 cent in trading 94,857 shares at $20. Lasco Distributors ended with 63,388 units trading with a fall of 10 cents to $7.05, Lasco Manufacturing ended at $5, after 12,795 units switched hands and Paramount Trading exchanged 86,151 units at $3.
Jamaica’s US$178M FX surplus for December
In foreign exchange trading on Friday, net inflows continue to be positive but with just over with US$1 million, bringing the net inflows for December to $178 million with the Jamaican dollar losing value against all the major currency it normal trades against.
At the close of the market, dealers bought the equivalent of US$49,393,835 of all currencies and sold US$48,140,699, compared to US$53,928,226 purchased and US$39,262,075 sold on Thursday.
In US dollar trading, dealers bought US$41,924,249 compared to US$48,357,262 on Thursday. The buying rate for the US dollar lost 12 cents to close at $127.48.
A total of US$42,123,238 was sold versus US$35,027,831 on Thursday, with the selling rate inching up 8 cents to $128.44. The Canadian dollar buying rate rose 94 cents to $94.41, with dealers buying C$4,856,783 and selling C$6,251,539 at an average rate that gained 63 cents to end at $95.88. The average rate for buying the British Pound jumped $3.19 to $157.03 for the purchase of £2,971,174 while £892,056 was sold with a rise of 80 cents to end at $157.42.
At the end of trading on Friday, dealers sold €218,636 with the selling rate for the Euro, closing with a rise of 9 cents to $134.91, according to data from Bank of Jamaica. Dealers 
purchased €165,108 of the European common currency at $129.76 after gaining $1.26. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$44,823 being bought and selling of US$27,851.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest rates for the regularly traded foreign currencies on Friday, include the highest buying rate for the British Pound declining $2.58 to $159.10, the lowest buying rate jumping $33.99 to $126.99 and the lowest selling rate rising $1 to $152, while the lowest selling rate for the Euro dived $6.50 to $122.
