The Jamaica stock market is off to a flying start on Tuesday with the all Jamaica index up 1,616 points as Cable & Wireless with units changing hands traded up 
to $1.80, but last traded at $1.76, Grace Kennedy rose to $75, National Commercial Bank traded at $37 and Pan Jamaican Investments is at $92.
The number of securities trading climbed sharply to 27 securities changing hands with a volume of 2,150,673 units as 10 stocks gained and 8 declined after 78 minutes of trading.
The All Jamaican Composite index gained 1,616.16 points to 155,132.81, the JSE Market Index climbed 1,446.15 points to 139,748.22 the JSE combined index rose 1,314.17 points to be at 146,502.93 and the junior market index declined 5.74 points to 1,630.51.
Subsequently Mayberry Investments trading more than 4 million shares up to $5 and C&W was up to $1.86.
The JSE off to robust start
Jamaican $ stable vs US on Monday
Inflows of foreign currencies into the system on Monday was US$6 million less than the amount sold with the local dollar selling rate holding against all the US dollar and the Pound but falling versus the Canadian currency. At the close of trading, the equivalent of US$38,102,831 was bought by dealers, compared with US$37,399,601 on Friday, while they sold the equivalent of US$44,185,509 versus US$31,267,945 previously.
In US dollar trading , dealers bought US$34,450,483 compared to US$33,768,726 on Friday. The buying rate for the US dollar fell 8 cents to $119.20 and US$42,351,622 was sold versus US$29,786,156 on Friday, the selling rate remained at $119.82.
The Canadian dollar buying rate lost 80 cents to end at $86.84 with dealers buying C$1,871,173 and selling C$1,292,916, at an average rate that rose 18 cents to $89.12. The rate for buying the British Pound declined 49 cents to $178.94 for the purchase of £1,352,997, while £498,115 was sold, with the rate remaining unchanged at $181.14. At the end of trading, it took J$128.59 to purchase the Euro, a decline of 25 cents from Friday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$126.08 for a fall of 23 cents from Friday’s rate. The US dollar equivalent of other currencies traded, amounts to US$257,995 being bought, while US$119,165 was sold.
Highs & Lows| On Monday, the highest buying rate for the US dollar fell 40 cents to $120.10, the lowest buying rate jumped $4.13 to 
$102.66, the highest selling rates remained unchanged at $126.26 and the lowest selling rate ended $17.67 higher at $116.20. The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar rose 10 cents to $89.80, the lowest buying rate closed higher by $3.46 to $75.26, the highest selling rate was unchanged at $92.55 and the lowest selling rate gained 30 cents to end at $86. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, rose 10 cents to end at $182.70. The lowest buying rate jumped $7 to $152.25, the highest selling rate rose $1.46 to $187.46 and the lowest selling rate jumped $10.20 to $175.20.
JSE main market slips on Monday
S VL closed at a new high on Monday.
The market closed with activity in 41 securities, leading to 9,839,984 units valued at $50,044,573 changing hands, in all market segments. A total of 15 securities rose and 12 declined with 4 stocks ending at 52 weeks’ closing high and 2 at intraday high.
The JSE Market Index fell 140.31 points to 138,302.07 the all Jamaica Composite Index declined 156.81 points to end at 153,516.65 and the JSE combined index eased by 20.44 points to end at 145,188.76.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had a reading of 9 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 2 with lower offers.
In trading, Barita Investments closed with a gain of 15 cents to $3.80 with 1,000 shares trading, Cable and Wireless close with 1,304,419 shares changing hands to close at $1.40 after rising to $1.49 in early trading. With the company’s parent having announced today that it has agreed to accept an offer from Liberty Global for the shares of CWC Plc interest could well build again in the local stock. Carreras rose $1 to end at $57 with 17,200 units trading, Ciboney gained 2 cents in closing at a 52 weeks’ high of 12 cents, Desnoes & Geddes ended with 269,196 shares trading at $30.02, Gleaner Company traded at 562,609 shares and gained 1 cent to end at $1.91. Jamaica Broilers traded 12,290 shares to close at $8.79 with a gain of 4 cents, JMMB Group lost 90 cents while trading 1,028,832 shares to close at $9.90. Mayberry Investments lost 4 cents and closed with 369,000 units trading with a loss of 5 cents at $4.30, National Commercial Bank close with 118,880 shares changing hands to end with a rise of $1 at $36 after trading at an intraday high of $37. 
Pulse Investments traded 229,058 shares with a decline of 20 cents for a close of $1.80, Sagicor Group lost 2 cents in trading 482,103 units at $16.43 at the close, Scotia Group ended with 8,029 shares changing hands, closed with a rise of 39 cents at $26.50. Supreme Ventures ended at a 52 weeks’ high $4.80 after adding 15 cents with 47,709 shares changing hands and Proven Investments ordinary share gained 2 US cents and ended at 23 US cents with 18,934 units changing hands. Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share traded 220,500 units at $2, Jamaica Money Market Brokers 8.50% preference share traded 1,313,000 units and ended at $3.49 with a gain of 4 cents.
Liberty Global strikes C&WC Plc deal
Cable & Wireless HQ
John Malone’s Liberty Global Plc agreed to buy Cable & Wireless Communications Plc in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at 3.5 billion pounds ($5.3 billion). Including the Special Dividend, the transaction values CWC at approximately $8.2 billion, including debt CWC Plc said in a release on the deal. The transaction is expected to complete by the calendar second quarter of 2016.
“The deal represents a multiple of 10.7 times Cable & Wireless Communications’ adjusted annual earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortization, (EBITDA) after taking into consideration cost synergies, according to a statement. Cable & Wireless’ shareholders will get a special 3 pence a share dividend at the deal’s close,” Bloomberg Business reported.
The report did not indicate what is planned with the Jamaican company Cable & Wireless Jamaica with nearly 20 percent minority ownership. IC Insider.com Has earlier suggested that the local operation could be valued around $3 using (EBITDA) measure.
Juniors’ new high as 6 stocks gained
CPJ closed at a new high of $4.60 on Monday
Only 2 securities ended with no bids to buy and 10 had no stocks being offered for sale, an indication of chronic supply shortage of junior market stocks. A total of 7 stocks closed with bids higher than the last traded prices and one closed with a lower offer.
In trading, Blue Power traded 150 shares in closing at $13.10, Caribbean Cream ended with 510,900 shares changing hands at $4.50, Caribbean Flavours traded 328,048 units to end at $5, Caribbean Producers gained 45 cents in trading 10,000 units at $4.60, for a new 52 weeks’ high. Investors are continuing to respond to good first quarter results. The stock closed with an offer at $6 to sell 8,000 shares, with the bid of at $4.60 to buy 30,418 units. Investors pushed Consolidated Bakeries down by 30 cents at the close, as the company reported a loss in the third quarter and ended at $1.60 with 93,500 units changing hands.
C2W Music traded at 39 cents with 50,000 units changing hands, General Accident Insurance traded 14,167 units at $1.92 for a 1 cent gain, Honey Bun with 3,000 shares changing hands, closed at $5.30, Jamaican Teas had 32,340 shares trading, to close at $4, after trading at a 52 weeks intraday high of $5. KLE Group gained 9 cents and ended with 20,000 units trading at 74 cents, Lasco Distributors closed with 221,040 shares changing hands, with a gain of 7 cents to $4.38 after trading as high as $4.43. Lasco Financial ended at 52 weeks’ closing high with a rise of 25 cents to $3.50, with a total of 98,155 shares changing hands and Lasco Manufacturing closed at $3.95 with 228,311 shares trading with a loss of 5 cents.
3 stocks rise on TTSE on Monday
T&TNGL gained 25 cents to end at $21.75 on Monday
At the close, the Composite Index ending with a gain of 0.75 points at 1,154.40 the All T&T Index rose 0.07 points to 1,951.86 and the Cross Listed Index gained 0.20 points to end at 46.89.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 4 stocks with the bid higher than the last selling price and 4 stocks with offers that were lower.
Gains| Ansa Merchant Bank closed with a gain of 1 cent, only 200 units traded to end at $38.96. Sagicor Financial Corporation gained 23 cents to end at $6, with 100,853 shares changing hands, valued at $604,932 and Trinidad and Tobago NGL closed with a gain of 25 cents at $21.75 with 23,334 shares changing hands for a value of $502,043.
Firm Trades| Clico Investment Fund closed with 40,580 shares changing hands at $22.53 for a value of $914,289. First Citizens Bank traded 1,809 shares to close at $35, Guardian Holdings with 1,600 shares changing hands, closed at $12.90. Scotiabank closed with 66,828 shares valued at $4,176,750 changing hands at $62.50, West Indian Tobacco closed with 3,252 units trading at $126.04, Trinidad Cement ended at a $4.01 with 1,000 shares changing hands and Unilever Caribbean ended with 3,936 shares valued at $265,837 trading to end at $67.54.
The JSE in moderate trading
The Jamaica stock market is off to a relatively moderate start on Monday, but 11 securities in the junior market has so far traded. Trading in main market stocks resulted in two securities having over 100,000 units trading, as Cable & Wireless had 482,450 units changing hands at $1.48 and Desnoes & Geddes with 201,196 units at $30 but Caribbean Flavours had 318,048 units changing hands at $5. 
The junior market has 9 stocks with bids higher than the last selling price but supply is low with 11 securities having no stocks being offered for sale. This is a good indicator for prices to rise in this market segment.
The All Jamaican Composite index eased 208.35 points to 153,465.11 point, the JSE Market Index fell 186.43 points to 138,255.95 the JSE combined index lost 168.96 points to be at 145,040.24 and the junior market index inched up by 0.79 points to its highest level of 1,624.49.
The number of securities trading climbed sharply to 30 securities changing hands with a volume of 1,803,002 units as 6 stocks gained and 8 declined after 75 minutes of trading.
Eppley’s stock scarce & undervalued
Eppley’s profit after tax increased 5 percent for the first nine months of the year to $41.7 million compared to $39.7 million in 2014. For the September quarter, profit jumped sharply by 91 percent to $19.3 million versus $10 million in 2014.
Earnings per share of $52.47 was achieved for the nine months and $24.17 for the quarter. A dividend of $9 per share will be paid on November 30 to ordinary shareholders on record at November 20.
Revenues grew 93 percent for the quarter to $63 million and 60 percent for the nine months period, to $171 million. Net interest income increased from 39.56 percent in the nine months to 43.9 percent in the quarter. Operating expenses climbed 16 percent for the quarter and 15 percent for the nine months.
As of September, Eppley had a $1.38 billion portfolio consisting mainly of loans, leases and receivables. The average income yield of the portfolio was 14 percent, the company stated.
Equity capital at the end of the quarter stood at $341 million and borrowing at $1 billion with average cost of debt being 10 percent. We ended the quarter with $237 million of cash and short-term investments, the company also stated.
Eppley provides loan and insurance premium financing. At the end of the quarter, the stock that is listed on the junior market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange last traded at $380 much lower than the net asset value was $429 per share.
Revenue growth pushes down C&W loss
Cable & Wireless HQ
The company posted losses of $485 million after exceptional expenses in the September quarter, or 11 percent less than the $548 million loss for the six months in 2014.
EBITDA earnings grew to $1.2 billion compared to $971 million a year ago and for the half year $2.58 billion versus $1.78 billion, an increase of 45 percent.
“Each line of business showed improved results leading to growth in total revenues and EBITDA. Our mobile business was again the leading performer with our pre-paid subscriber base growing by 23 percent and our post-paid subscriber base growing by 6 percent when compared to the prior year first half,” stated Garfield Sinclair who heads C&WJ, in the financial report.
During the quarter, revenues grew 9 percent to $5.63 billion. This growth was filliped by mobile subscriber base and revenues up 22 percent and 16 percent respectively; and broadband subscribers and revenue up 8 percent and 11 percent respectively. Revenues for the half year grew 10 percent to $11 billion as revenues for the September quarter exceeded that of the June quarter by $179 million or 3.3 percent.
Interest cost declined in the quarter to $934 million from $1 billion last year and should fall in the coming quarters as the interest rates reset downwards in November, to 7.2 percent from 7.787 percent with the fall in local Treasury bill rates. For the half-year interest cost amounts $2 billion. Staff costs are down by $300 million in the six months period from that of 2014 to be at $1.246 billion but out payments and direct cost rose $226 million with the September quarter by $149 million over the June quarter.
The company generated operating cash flow of $520 million compared with negative cash flows of $133 million in six months to September 2014.
The financials does not show any indication of a merger between the local operations of Flow and C&W but the latter wrote large amounts of assets and made staff redundant but no mention is made in the report as to how the two entities will be operating going forward. There are questions to be answered here.
The company’s shares are listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange last traded at $1.45.
Remittance inflows grow for Jamaica
Remittance inflows for Jamaica rose 3.7 percent or US$6.9 million to US$190 million in July this year, over July 2014. For the year to date period total remittance inflows climbed 3.8 percent or US$47.5 million to US$1.28 billion.
After accounting for outflows, net remittances were US$168 million for July, an increase of US$6.9 million or 4.3 percent relative to the corresponding period of 2014. The growth in net remittance inflows reflect an increase in gross remittances while remittance outflows remained unchanged.
Net remittances for 2015 to-date are US$1.154 billion, an increase of US$45 million or 4.1 percent over the corresponding period of 2014. The out-turn for the review period reflected an increase in gross inflows, which was partially offset by a growth in outflows, Bank of Jamaica reported.
The flows for 2015 should exceed the US$2.157 billion the country received in 2014, if the trend continues.
