Newly listed, Iron Rock Insurance Company traded on Thursday to hit a new high of $4.50 while 507,300 shares changed hands to gain 47 cents. In early March the company offered shares to the public at $3 each which were oversubscribed.
In overall trading on the stock exchange on Thursday, the main market indices rose in early trading in the morning but the junior market suffered a small loss. After 75 minutes of the market’s opening, only 24 securities traded, accounting for 1,229,480 shares changing hands. A total of 11 stocks gained and 9 declined.
The all Jamaica Composite Index rose 584.74 points to 169,127.78, the JSE Market Index gained 523.23 points to 152,271.05, the JSE combined index ended with a rise of 472.82 points to 161,433.27 but the junior market index fell 2.21 points to 1,976.11.
Iron Rock climbs to $4.50 – Thursday
Gains for Jamaican$ on Wednesday
Trading resulted in the Jamaican dollar gained in value on Wednesday against all majors it normally trade against. The market ended with dealers buying the equivalent of US$32,239,806 and selling US$36,057,709, in contrast to US$38,374,952 purchased and US$59,515,111 sold on Tuesday.
In US dollars trading, dealers bought US$29,447,273 compared to US$35,361,406 on Tuesday, with the buying rate for the US dollar falling 2 cents to $121.29. A total of US$34,805,943 was sold versus US$38,036,432 on 
Tuesday as the selling rate fell 2 cents to end at $122. The Canadian dollar buying rate rose $1.17 to end at $89.33 with dealers buying C$1,291,827 and selling C$591,206, at an average rate that declined by 98 cents to $90.31. The rate for buying the British Pound dropped $1.05 to $168.38 for the purchase of £1,208,083, while only £454,489 was sold compared to £14,483,014, on Tuesday, as the rate dropped $3.47 to $170.06. At the end of trading, the selling rate for Euro, gained 5 cents to close at J$135.59, from Tuesday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$132.78 for a fall of 10 cents on Tuesday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$164,137 being bought, while US$180,548 was sold.
Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest rates the currencies traded at on Wednesday are, a gain of $18.26 in the lowest selling rate of the US dollar to close at $118 and a fall of $2.35 in the highest buying rate of the British Pound to $173, while the lowest buying rate fell $1.08 to $138.36 and the highest selling rate declined by $1.04 to $165.
JSE make gains – Wednesday
D&G dropped $6.39 on the JSE on Wednesday
The JSE Market Index recovered 274.33 points to end at 151,747.82, the all Jamaica Composite Index added 306.58 points to end at 168,543.04 and the JSE combined index gained 417.91 points to close at 160,960.45.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading was 9 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 8 with lower offers.
At the end of the market activities, Berger Paints rose 10 cents and ended with 5,000 shares trading at $3.50, Cable & Wireless closed at $1.37 with 122,214 units changing hands, Caribbean Cement ended at $20 with 81,142 shares trading. Carreras lost 50 cents to close at $64, while trading 28,704 units, Desnoes and Geddes traded only 800 shares but fell $6.39 shares to $23.60, Gleaner closed at $2.10 with 131,961 shares changing hands, Grace Kennedy closed with 28,233 shares trading with a loss of 89 cents at $83.60, well below the $97 equivalent, it last traded at in Trinidad. Jamaica Broilers traded 45,915 units but lost 41 cents to close at $14.09, Jamaica Producers traded 13,125 units to close with a loss of 20 cents at $30.30, Jamaica Stock Exchange lost 20 cents in trading 5,000 units to close at $22.30, JMMB Group had only 1,000 units changing hands but fell 20 cents in closing at $10.10. Kingston Wharves traded 3,520 shares to rise by 5 cents to $11.50, 
National Commercial Bank with 110,881 shares changing hands, to close at $41, Proven Investments ordinary share traded 452,650 units and rose 1 US cent in closing at 21 US cents, Radio Jamaica ended with 10,255 units changing hands 15 cents higher to close at $4.50. Sagicor Group traded 56,670 shares changing hands at $22.10, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 49,790 shares and gained 35 cents to close at $10.35, Scotia Group had 272,706 shares changing hands to close at $31.10 after rising by $11.0. Supreme Ventures closed with a loss of 15 cents at $5 with 8,250 units changing hands, JMMB 5.75% preference share traded 32,087 units to close at $1.20 and JMMB 7.5% preference share traded 1,032,461shares to close at $2.15 and Proven Investments 8% preference share traded 229,000 at $5.
Juniors move higher again – Wednesday
Iron Rock enjoying a dream debut on the junior market.
There were two stocks closing at 52 weeks’ high at the close. The market ended with 14 securities trading, 5 of which declined and 7 advancing and 1,165,571 units changing hands, valued at $5,235,064.
At the close, 1 security ended with no bid and 6 securities had no stocks being offered for sale. There were 4 stocks closing with bids that were higher than their last selling prices and 5 ended with lower offers.
In trading, AMG Packaging gained 10 cents with 22,453 units changing hands, to close at $11.40, CAC2000 traded 1,200 shares at $7.50 after adding 15 cents, Caribbean Cream traded just 100 shares and gained 25 cents to end at $4.06, Caribbean Flavours lost 50 cents to close at $8 while trading 30,800 units. Consolidated Bakeries ended with 3,950 shares trading with a loss of 2 cents at $1.48, General Accident closed with only 500 shares being active at $2.80,
Honey Bun traded 18,560 units at $13.08 after shedding 52 cents. Knutsford Express closed at $20 with 214 units changing hands, Jamaican Teas did not trade after the stock was adjusted for the a 2 for 1 stock split on Tuesday, but had a bid to but 500 units at $4.20 at the close. Lasco Distributors closed with 60,500 units trading with a loss of 1 cent at $5.99, Lasco Financial ended at $3.10 with 35,483 shares changing hands with a 9 cents gain, Lasco Manufacturing ended with 55,705 shares changing hands to close at $4 with a gain of 50 cents. tTech fell by 25 cents to close at $4.25 with 1,007 units changing hands and Eppley 9.5% preference shares traded 16,600 units at $6.10 after rising by 10 cents.
TTSE ekes out gains on Wednesday
Grace traded at a new high on the TTSE on Wednesday.
The market closed with the Composite Index rising 0.21 points to close at 1,158.89, the All T&T Index gaining 0.09 points to close at 1,863.70 and the Cross Listed Index rose 0.04 points to end at 60.26.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 1 stock with the bid higher than the last selling price and 9 with offers that were lower. More telling is the fact that about a third of the listings have no bids to buy.
Gains|, Grace Kennedy had 942 units changing hands at a 52 weeks’ high of $5.20 for a 5 cents gain, Trinidad and Tobago NGL gained 5 cents to end trading with 28,795 shares with a value of $548,452 at $19.05 and Scotia Investments closed with a gain of 4 cents at $1.75 while trading 64,866 shares,
Losses| One Caribbean Media had 227 shares trading with a loss of 2 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $21.98, Republic Financial Holdings fell by 1 cent to close at $112.19 with 363 shares changing hands and Sagicor Financial Corporation traded 6,039 units at $6.99 after drifting by 1 cent.
Firm Trades| Agostini’s traded 100 shares at $17.03, FirstCaribbean International Bank traded 20,110 shares to close at $6.50, Guardian Holdings ended trading with 7,800 shares changing hands at $13.70. Guardian Media ended trading with 6,670 shares changing hands at $19.75, JMMB Group traded 10,000 shares at 58 cents, National Flour closed with 126,500 shares changing hands at $1.95 and West Indian Tobacco traded 10,560 units at $126.30 worth $1,333,728.
JSE took another dive – Tuesday
Jamaica Broilers traded over 3.3m shares on Tuesday.
The JSE Market Index shed 1,962.29 points to end at 151,473.49, the all Jamaica Composite Index dropped 2,192.97 points to end at 168,236.46 and the JSE combined index dived 1,429.27 points to close at 160,542.54.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading was 10 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 6 with lower offers.At the end of the market activities, Berger Paints lost 55 cents and ended with 14,612 shares trading at $3.40, Cable & Wireless closed with a loss of 5 cents at $1.37 with 1,317,035 units changing hands, Caribbean Cement gained $1 to end at $20 with 23,847 shares trading. Carreras lost 49 cents to close at $64.50, while trading 14,840 units, Gleaner lost 10 cents to close at $2.10 with 5,000 shares changing hands, Grace Kennedy closed with 50,000 shares trading with a loss of 1 cent at $83.49, well below the $97 equivalent, it last traded at in Trinidad. Jamaica Broilers traded 3,323,214 units to close at $14.50, Jamaica Stock Exchange traded 90,000 units to close at $22.50, JMMB Group had 72,435 units changing hands but fell 10 cents in closing at $10.30, Kingston Wharves traded 34,654 shares trading with a loss of 5 cents at $11.45.
National Commercial Bank with 547,321 shares changing hands, to close at $41, Proven Investments ordinary share traded 530,450 units and fell 2 US cents in closing at 20 US cents, Radio Jamaica ended with 29,880 units changing hands at 40 cents higher to close at $4.35. Sagicor Group lost 90 cents with 94,090 shares changing hands at $22.10, Sagicor Real Estate Fund traded 17,343 shares to close at $10, Scotia Group had 296,974 shares changing hands to close at $30 after falling by $1, Scotia Investments rose $1.49 to close at $29.49 with 503,451 units trading. Supreme Ventures closed with a gain of 55 cents at $5.15 with 33,900 units changing hands, JMMB 7.5% preference share traded 8 million units but fell 13 cents to close at $1.07 and JMMB 7.5% preference share traded 50,000 shares to close at $2.15.
NCB sold off big block of £ – Tuesday
NCB sold off £14m on Tuesday.
Trading resulted in the Jamaican dollar gaining value against the US dollar on Tuesday but falling against the Pound and the Canadian. The market ended with dealers buying the equivalent of US$38,374,952 and selling US$59,515,111, in contrast to US$55,938,398 purchased and US$42,243,409 sold on Monday.
In US dollars trading, dealers bought US$35,361,406 compared to US$52,402,992 on Monday, with the buying rate for the US dollar falling 15 cents to $121.31. A total of US$38,036,432 was sold versus US$40,586,538 on Monday as the selling rate fell 1 cent to end at $122.02. The Canadian dollar buying rate lost 22 cents to end at $88.16 with dealers buying C$1,087,597 and selling C$817,857, at an average rate that rose 47 cents to $91.29. The rate for buying the British Pound dropped $1.46 to $169.43 for the purchase of £1,474,724, while £14,483,014 was sold, the rate rose 49 cents to $173.53. At the end of trading, the selling rate for Euro, fell by 63 cents to close at J$135.54, from Monday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$132.88 for a fall of 65 cents on Monday’s rate. 
The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$163,481 being bought, while US$269,070 was sold.Highs & Lows| Notable changes to the highest and lowest rates the currencies traded at on Tuesday are, a fall of $1.20 in the lowest selling rate of the Canadian dollar to close at $85 and a fall of $2 in the lowest selling rate of the British Pound that landed at $165.
TTSE stocks closed lower on Tuesday
Prestige Holdings brand – the stock traded at a high on Tuesday.
The market closed with the Composite Index falling 0.76 points to close at 1,158.68, the All T&T Index dropping 1.45 points to close at 1,863.61 and the Cross Listed Index remained at 60.22.
IC bid-offer Indicator| The Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator ended with 1 stock with the bid higher than the last selling price and 9 with offers that were lower. More telling is the fact that about a third of the listings have no bids to buy.
Gains| Agostini’s traded 990 shares at $17.03 with a rise of 1 cent, Clico Investments traded 26,975 shares with a value of $1,571,937 to close with a gain of 18 cents at $22.73. Prestige Holdings with 126 units changing hands ended at a 52 weeks’ high of $11.16, to record a gain of 4 cents and Republic Financial Holdings gained by 2 cents to close at $112.20 with 9,094 shares changing hands, at a value of $1,020,269.
Losses| Massy Holdings ended with 8,024 shares with a value of $455,101 changing hands as the price dropped 5 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $56.70, Scotiabank closed with 6,420 shares valued at $381,867 changing hands with a loss of 24 cents to end at a 52 weeks’ low of $59.48. Scotia Investments closed with a loss of 4 cents at $1.71 while trading 50,694 shares and Trinidad Cement lost 2 cents to close at $3.68 with 55,022 shares.
Firm Trades| Ansa Merchant Bank ended with 2,549 shares trading at $38.95, Berger Paints traded 100 shares at $3.68, Grace Kennedy closed with 39,625 units changing hands to close at $5.15.
Guardian Holdings ended trading with 22,850 shares valued at $312,955 changing hands at $13.70, National Commercial Bank had 51,688 shares changing hands to close at $2.40, National Flour closed with 6,270 shares changing hands at $1.95. Praetorian Property Mutual Fund contributed 12,000 shares and rose cents to end at $3, Sagicor Financial Corporation 6.5% US$1 preference share traded 70 units at US$1.10, Trinidad and Tobago NGL ended trading 22,359 shares with a value of $424,821 to close at $19 and West Indian Tobacco traded 18,309 units at $126.30 worth $2,312,427.
Juniors move higher again – Tuesday
The junior market welcomed one new listing, bringing the total to 30, with the commencement of trading today of Iron Rock Insurance. The market enjoyed another day of a rising index at the close on Tuesday as 46.03 points were added to end at 1,960.80. There were two stocks closing at 52 weeks’ high at the close.
The market ended with 13 securities trading, 5 of which declined and 4 advancing and 310,507 units changing hands, valued at $1,653,369.
At the close, 1 security ended with no bid and 5 securities had no stocks being offered for sale. There were 5 stocks closing with bids that were higher than their last selling prices and 4 ended with lower offers.
In trading, AMG Packaging gained 15 cents with 9,400 units changing hands, to close at $11.30, Cargo Handlers traded 126 shares at a new 52 weeks’ high of $43, after adding $2.70, Caribbean Cream traded 25,400 shares, the price slipped by 25 cents and ended at $3.81, Dolphin Cove lost 1 cent to end with 1,000 shares trading at $15.29. General Accident closed with only 5,246 shares being active and gained 10 cents to end at $2.80, Honey Bun traded 20,660 units at $13.60 after shedding 40 cents, 
Iron Rock traded for the first time since its initial public offering early March and gained 55 cents to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $3.55, with 11,000 units changing hands. Knutsford Express gained $1to close at a 52 weeks’ high of $20 with 909 units changing hands, Jamaican Teas did not trade after the stock was adjusted for the a 2 for 1 stock split today. Lasco Distributors closed with 67,515 units trading to end at $6, Lasco Financial ended at $3.01 with 23,500 shares changing hands, Lasco Manufacturing ended with 129,251 shares changing hands to close at 3.50. Paramount Trading ended with 3,500 units changing hands at $11.31 after falling by 34 cents and tTech closed at $4.50 with 13,000 units changing hands.
