The buying and selling in the forex market on Thursday resulted slightly more selling by dealers than the amounts bought in all currencies but sale of US$ exceeded inflows by US$3 million.
The foreign exchange market closed on Wednesday, with dealers buying the equivalent of US$32,911,167 and selling US$33,802,996, in contrast to US$28,237,528 purchased and US$39,830,039 sold on Wednesday
In US dollar trading, dealers bought US$28,031,398 compared to US$26,160,433 on Wednesday as the buying rate for the US dollar added 13 cents to end at $124.75. A total of US$31,006,313 was sold versus US$38,578,531 on Wednesday with the selling rate rising 3 cents to $125.50.
The Canadian dollar buying rate rose $1.08 to end at $93.45 with dealers buying C$1,133,560 and selling C$606,541, at an average rate that climbed by 78 cents to $95.23. The average rate for buying the British Pound climbed 95 cents to $178.30 for the purchase of £1,804,146, while £621,406 was sold, with the rate dropping 97 cents to $179.94.
At the end of trading, the selling rate for Euro, gained 56 cents to close at J$140.18 from Tuesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$137.15, for a rise of 38 cents on Tuesday’s rate.
The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded amounts to US$1,452,009 being bought, while US$1,445,479 was sold.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest traded rates for the Jamaican dollar in the foreign exchange market on Wednesday, include, a fall of $19.23 in the lowest selling rate of the US Dollar to $102.12, a rise of $1.50 in the highest buying rate of the Canadian Dollar to $95.90 and a $1 gain in the lowest buying rate to $75.70 while the lowest buying rate for the British Pound fell by $2.07 to $143.84 and the highest buying rate declined 95 cents to $187.16.
US$ sales exceed purchases – Thursday
JSE makes big jump on Thursday
Palace closed at a new high of $165 on Thursday.
The price of 17 stocks in the overall market rose, 18 declined, including 7 stocks rising and 8 declining, from the junior market as 5 stocks in all markets hit new highs.
The JSE Market Index gained 2,178.07 points to end at 159,593.54. The all Jamaica Composite Index jumped 2,435.88 points to close at 177,315.65 and the JSE combined index climbed 2,015.84 points, to close at 170,094.60.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 12 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 6 with lower offers.
At the end of market activities, Cable & Wireless closed with a loss of 3 cents at $1.45 after trading 227,677 units, Caribbean Cement traded 22,120 shares and declined by 70 cents closed at $23.30. Carreras had just 1,000 units trading, to close with a gain of 1 cent at $65.81, Grace Kennedy added 1 cent in trading 11,617 units, to close at $115. Jamaica Broilers lost 5 cents in trading 8,500 units to end at $14, Jamaica Producers traded 37,951 shares and gained 51 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $41.50, JMMB Group traded 101,774 units as the price fell 29 cents to $9.70. Mayberry Investments had 52,040 shares changing hands and fell 50 cents to $3.50,
National Commercial Bank traded 83,072 shares, to close with a gain of 11 cents at $41.10. Palace Amusement added $15 to close at 52 weeks’ high of $165 after trading 7,058 shares, Pan Jamaican Investment Trust traded 41,571 shares and fell 49 cents to $26.50 at the close, Radio Jamaica closed trading with 55,747 shares as the price rose 17 cents to a 52 weeks’ high of $1.92. Sagicor Group ended with 24,182 shares changing hands with a rise of 29 cents at $22.79, Sagicor Real Estate Fund lost 12 cents and traded 708,499 shares at $10, Scotia Group climbed $2.49 cents to close at $32.99, as 212,260 units changed hands, Seprod traded 69,500 units to end at $16.88. Proven Investments had 15,993 shares trading at 19.49 US cents, down from 19.99 US cents and Supreme Ventures lost 50 cents in trading 869,991 units to close at $4.50.
C2W Music monster trade – Thursday
C2W had the largest trade on the JSE on Thursday
A total of 17 securities traded with 7 advancing and 8 declining. The market ended with bids for 7 stocks closing higher than their last selling prices and 3 ending with lower offers.
At the end of trading, AMG Packaging traded 1,200 shares to close at $12.45, after adding 45 cents, Caribbean Cream closed with a loss of 4 cents at $4.65, after trading 183,500 shares, Carib Flavours closed at $7.99 after losing 1 cent, in trading 200 shares. Consolidated Bakeries traded 283,078 units and gained 11 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ high of $2.12, C2W Music closed with 53,814,091 shares trading with a loss of 1 cent at 34 cents, General Accident had 2,200 shares trading with a gain of 26 cents to close at $2.44. Honey Bun traded for the first time after its 5 for 1 stock split and closed at a 52 weeks’ high of $5 with a gain of $1.20 with 170,860 units changing hands, Iron Rock Insurance traded 628,310 shares but shed 20 cents to end at $3.20.
Jamaican Teas traded 17,039 units to close with a loss of 5 cents at $3.80, Jetcon Corporation rose 7 cents in trading 23,525 units at $2.87, Key Insurance gained 6 cents with 61,900 shares at $2.75. KLE Group ended at $1.60 with 9,300 shares changing hands Knutsford Express fell 50 cents in trading 6,200 shares to close at $17.50, Lasco Distributors fell 10 cents with 1,000,000 units trading at $7.90. Lasco Financial closed with a gain of 4 cents at $3.34 with 5,979 shares changing hands while Lasco Manufacturing traded 1,099,242 shares and fell 19 cents to close at $4.50, Medical Disposables ended with 5,000 units changing hands to close with a gain of 1 cent at $3.50 and tTech traded 8,537 units at $4.30.
Spring blues over for TTSE stocks
The spring break of falling stocks on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange seems over, with the advent of summer and sentiments showing good signs of improving market conditions. Prices remained fairly stable at the close of trading with only two stocks recording price changes. The market closed with 9 active securities changing hands, 1 of which gained, 1 declined while 7 remained unchanged, as 356,121 shares valued at $6,829,136 changed hands. The market ended with 1 stock closing at 52 weeks’ high.
The Composite Index declined by 0.03 points to close at 1,109.79, the All T&T Index fell 0.06 points to close at 1,760.06 and the Cross Listed Index remained at 61.11.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 5 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 3 with offers that were lower.
Gains| National Flour ended with 66,951 shares changing hands and closed with a gain of 1 cent at $2.20.
Losses| West Indian Tobacco lost 6 cents in closing at $126.30 with only 522 units trading.
Firm Trades| First Citizens had 205,093 shares changing hands, for a value of $6,152,790 to close at $30, Massy Holdings closed trading with 2,036 shares at $48.16, National Commercial Bank traded 33,333 shares and closed at $2.45. Prestige Holdings traded 10 shares at $11.30, Trinidad and Tobago NGL traded 4,581 units valued at $962,010 to close at $21, Trinidad Cement traded 43,032 units at $3.50 and Unilever Caribbean closed with 563 shares trading at $64.82.
Juniors trade over 2.6m shares – Thursday
Spurred by good volumes in a number of junior market stocks, the junior market has so far traded over 2.6 million units while the main market had 3 securities trading in volumes over 100,000 units. Honey Bun fresh from a 5 to 1 stock split traded for the first time at $4.30.
Volumes increased for a number of stocks as Honey Bun traded 155,000 units at $4.30, Iron Rock Insurance exchanged 600,000 shares at $3.20, Lasco Distributors lost ground, in trading 762,546 units at $7.90 down from $8 on 
Wednesday and Lasco Manufacturing had with 1,048,000 shares trading at $4.60. JMMB Group traded 100,000 units at $10, Sagicor Real Estate X Fund had 500,400 shares changing hands at $10 while Supreme Ventures accounted for 219,900 shares at $4.30.
Trading resulted in activity in 27 securities, accounting for a volume of 3,660,342 units as 11 stocks gained and 11 declined. The average number of shares traded amounts to 135,568 units compared to an average of 233,476 units on Wednesday.
After 75 minutes of trading in the early morning session, on Thursday, the all Jamaica Composite Index gained 696.08 points to 175,575.85, the JSE Market Index rose 622.41 points to 158,037.88, the JSE combined index rose by 696.08 points, to 168,568.02 and the junior market index fell 8.59 points to 2,141.91.
JSE stocks hit new highs again – Wednesday
Pan Jam rose to new high after stock split.
The price of 19 stocks in the overall market rose, 9 declined, including 7 stocks rising and only 3 declining, from the junior market as 2 stocks in the main market hit new highs.
The JSE Market Index gained 853.70 points to end at 157,415.47. The all Jamaica Composite Index rose 954.75 points to close at 174,879.77 and the JSE combined index climbed 943.05 points, to close at 168,078.76.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 10 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 4 with lower offers.At the end of market activities, Berger Paints rose 4 cents in trading 20,300 shares at $4.49, Cable & Wireless closed at $1.48 after trading 77,437 units, Caribbean Cement traded 22,000 shares, gained $1 and closed at $24. Carreras had just 265 units trading, to close with a gain of $1.79 at $65.80, the price of 1834 Investments rose 1 cent to end at $1.15, as 213,749 units changed hands. Grace Kennedy slipped 1 cent in trading 1,933 units, to close at $114.99. Jamaica Broilers lost 15 cents in trading 19,428 units to end at $13.95, Jamaica Producers traded 1,074 shares and gained $1.40 to end at $41.50, JMMB Group traded 65,023 units as the price rose by 39 cents to $9.99. Mayberry Investments had 35,650 shares changing hands at $4, National Commercial Bank traded 13,492 shares, to close with a gain of 74 cents at $40.99.
Pan Jamaican Investment Trust traded ex-split for the first time and jumped $2.75 to $26.99 at the close, with 3,787,537 units, the bulk of which were crosses, Radio Jamaica closed trading with 393,668 shares as the price rose 30 cents to $1.75, Sagicor Group ended with 48,484 shares changing hands with a loss of 30 cents at $22.50. Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 175,863 shares at $10.12, Scotia Group fell 50 cents to close at $30.50, as 245,997 units changed hands. Scotia Investments rose 40 cents to close at $25.50, as 30,478 units changed hands, Seprod traded 235,333 units but fell 7 cents to end at $16.88, Sterling Investments had 173,979 shares trading at $11.50 and Supreme Ventures rose 30 cents in trading 3,900 units to close at $5.
US$11.5m more sold than purchased – Wednesday
Dealers in the forex market sold over US$11.5 million more than they bought on Wednesday in all currencies as the local currency selling rate for the US dollar increased by 5 cents.
The foreign exchange market closed on Wednesday, with dealers buying the equivalent of US$28,237,528 and selling US$39,830,039, in contrast to US$47,052,554 purchased and US$42,436,572 sold on Tuesday.
In US dollar trading, dealers bought US$26,160,433 compared to US$44,115,520 on Tuesday, as the buying rate for the US dollar declined by 10 cents to $124.62. A total of US$38,578,531 was sold versus US$40,688,761 on Tuesday with the selling rate rising 6 cents to $125.47.
The Canadian dollar buying rate fell 80 cents to end at $92.37 with dealers buying C$793,330 and selling C$436,850, at an average rate that fell 42 cents to $94.45. The rate for buying the British Pound dropped $1.76 to $177.35 for the purchase of £1,003,394, while £556,923 was sold, with the rate gaining 55 cents to $180.91.
At the end of trading, the selling rate for Euro, fell 13 cents to close at J$139.61 from Tuesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$136.77, for a rise of 21 cents on Tuesday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded amounts to US$61,198 being bought, while US$119,605 was sold.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest rates, the Jamaican dollar traded at, in the foreign exchange market on Wednesday, include, a rise of $19.23 in the lowest selling rate of the US Dollar to $121.35, a fall of $3.22 in the highest buying rate of the Canadian Dollar to $94.40 while the highest buying rate for the British Pound fell by $2.90 to $182.15 and the lowest selling rate rose $1 to $173.
Demand for juniors rose on Wednesday
Lasco Distributors had the largest trade in the junior market and climbed 50 cents to $8.
A total of 14 securities traded with 7 advancing and 3 declining. The market ended with bids for 6 stocks closing higher than their last selling prices and 3 ending with lower offers.
At the end of trading, AMG Packaging traded 2,449 shares to close at $12, after shedding 50 cents, CAC 200 had 250 shares trading at $6.50, Caribbean Cream closed with a loss of 9 cents at $4.69, after trading 163,774 shares, Consolidated Bakeries traded 89,007 units and gained 1 cent to end at $2.01. Dolphin Cove had 900 shares trading with a loss of $1.68 at $11, General Accident had 2,200 shares trading with a gain of 26 cents to close at $2.44, ISP Finance traded 31,499 units at $3. Jamaican Teas traded 105,100 units to close at $3.85, Jetcon Corporation lost 5 cents in trading 112,918 units at $2.80, Knutsford Express rose $1.20 in trading 16,679 shares to close at $18.
Lasco Distributors climbed 50 cents with 1,033,123 units trading at $8, one day after the company released full year’s results showing profit rising 38.55 percent from a 30.5 percent rise in sales income. Lasco Financial closed with a gain of 15 cents at $3.30 with 338,355 shares changing hands after the company released full year’s results showing just 5 percent increase in profit after tax, from a 22 percent rise in revenues. Lasco Manufacturing traded 180,100 shares and rose 9 cents to close at $4.69 and Medical Disposables ended with 74,876 units changing hands to close with a gain of 24 cents at $3.49.
Mixed trading for TTSE stocks- Wednesday
NCB record gains on Wednesday on the TTSE
The Composite Index rose 0.20 points to close at 1,109.82, the All T&T Index fell 1.11 points to close at 1,760.12 and the Cross Listed Index gained 0.21 points to 61.11.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 5 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 5 with offers that were lower.
Gains| National Commercial Bank rose by 3 cents in trading 1,000 shares and closed at $2.45 and Trinidad and Tobago NGL gained 6 cents in trading 22,555 units valued at $473,500 to close at $21.
Losses| National Flour ended with 943 shares changing hands and closed with a fall of 1 cent to $2.19,
Scotiabank closed with 18,956 shares valued at $1,013,767 changing hands but fell by 32 cents, to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $53.48 and West Indian Tobacco lost 4 cents in closing at $126.36 with only 15 units trading.Firm Trades| Clico Investment Fund traded 53,122 shares with a value of $1,203,213, to close at $22.65, First Citizens traded 196,645 shares with a value of $5,899,288 to close at $30, Guardian Holdings ended with 17,767 shares changing hands at $12.85, Massy Holdings closed trading with 14,573 shares valued at $701,835, to close at $48.16. Point Lisas traded 1,459 units at $3.80, Prestige Holdings traded 730 shares at $11.30, Republic Financial Holdings closed at $107.89 with 20 shares changing hands and Trinidad Cement traded 9,820 units at $3.50.
New records as JSE rises – Wednesday
Pan Jamaican Investment Trust traded for the first time since the stock split of 5 for 1 and hit $28 but has since traded at $26.10 for a 52 weeks’ high. The stock had a volume of 3.75 million units changing hands on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. 
Jamaica Producers traded at a new 52 weeks’ high of $41.50, Honey Bun fresh from a 5 to 1 stock split is yet to trade and have no stock on offer.
Volumes increased for several stocks as increased demand was evident in early trading. Trading resulted in activity in 24 securities, accounting for a volume of 5,603,430 units as 11 stocks gained and 8 declined. The average number of shares traded amounts to 233,476 units compared to an average of 37,571 units on Tuesday.
After 75 minutes of trading in the early morning session, on Wednesday, the all Jamaica Composite Index jumped 1,230.28 points to 175,155.30, the JSE Market Index rose 1,100.07 points to 157,661.84, the JSE combined index climbed 1,062.66 points, to 168,198.37 and the junior market index rose 4.12 points to 2,139.88.
