Purchases by dealers of foreign currencies on Monday, resulted in the Jamaican currency gaining value against the three main traded currencies. The market closed with dealers buying the equivalent of US$30,317,785 in contrast to US$35,830,362 on Friday, while they sold the equivalent of US$30,785,180, previously US$29,735,446.
In US dollar trading , dealers bought US$27,517,864 compared to US$30,913,429 on Friday. The buying rate for the US dollar fell 21 cents to $116.54 and US$29,516,249 was sold versus US$27,672,147 on Friday, the selling rate fell 6 cents to $117.36. The Canadian dollar buying rate dropped $1 to $87.05 with dealers buying C$1,352,247 and selling C$581,188, at an average rate that fell 
79 cents to $89.59. The rate for buying the British Pound dropped $1.07 to $179.64 for the purchase of £1,085,262, while £403,305 was sold, at an average rate that slipped 56 cents to $182.49. At the end of trading, it took J$129.73 to purchase the Euro, with an increase of $1.50 from Friday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$127.06 for a rise of $1.34 from Friday. Other currencies bought, amounted to the equivalent of US$117,139, while the equivalent of US$198,106 was sold.
Highs & Lows| The highest buying rate for the US dollar, rose 5 cents to $117.55, the lowest buying, the highest and lowest 
selling rates remained at $96.15, $123.21 and $96.15 respectively. The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar jumped $1 to $91. The lowest buying rate rose 62 cents to $72.21, the highest selling rate leapt $3.50 to $96.50 and the lowest selling rate remained at $87. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, eased 10 cents to $183.20, the lowest buying rate rose 33 cents to $147.74, with the highest selling rate rising 43 cents to $190.46 and the lowest selling rate falling $1.70 to $178.
J$ gained value on Monday
Product expansion at AMG
AMG Packaging (AMG) a junior market listed company advised the Jamaica Stock Exchange of their decision to expand into the manufacturing of toilet paper and hand towel. AMG will be manufacturing these additional products, at a facility leased on Orange Street, downtown Kingston and anticipates starting production by the end of October 2015.
The company says it “ is confident that this new venture will aid in decreasing the importation of products, provide meaningful employment opportunities subsequently assisting the growth of the Jamaican economy.”
AMG Packaging ventures into the new ventures at a time when it appears that real growth in it’s existing business has slowed considerable in the past year, the new business is likely to boost sales volume and ride on some of the existing overhead costs of the current Packaging operations.
AMG Packaging, currently, involved in the manufacturing of boxes, for packaging, reported a 42 percent jump in the nine months’ profits to May 2015 of $52 million, compared to $37 million in 2014. Profits grew 58 percent for the latest quarter to $21 million over that of 2014. Sales revenue rose just 4.5 percent for the nine months to May, this year, to reach $462 million and is up by 6 percent for the last quarter, hitting $161 million. The increased revenues in the May quarter and nine months to May this year, is well down on the strong 36 percent rise in the May 2014 quarter of $152 million and 40 percent in the nine months to May, to reach $442 million.
Toilet tissue and hand towels are products that are sensitive in nature including pricing, is likely to have a wider market than the existing products of the company.
Falling prices overwhelm on TTSE
Trading in the overall market ended with 15 securities changing hands on Monday with 1 stock gaining, 5 declining and 9 traded with the price unchanged. A total of only 322,715 shares traded, valued at $2,878,812, as Massy Holdings accounted for $11.5 million of the trade.
At the close of the market, the Composite Index fell 0.83 points to close at 1,154.09, the All T&T Index lost 2.18 points to 1,961.59 and the Cross Listed Index gained 0.07 points to close at 45.47.
Gains| In trading, National Flour closed with 29,416 shares trading for 4 cents higher at $2.10.
Declines| First Citizens lost 45 cents in trading 1,247 shares and closed at $35.25, National Enterprises closed with 535 shares trading a cent lower at $17.19, Praetorian Property Mutual Fund traded 14,000 units at $3.05 and lost 5 cents. Prestige Holdings had 600 shares changing hands at $9.87 but at 2 cents less than the prior trade, Republic Bank lost 1 cent in trading 4,944 shares valued at $568,461 to close at $114.98.
Firm Trades| Clico Investment Fund stock closed at $22.50 with 43,482 shares valued at $978,345, Firstcaribbean Bank traded 313 shares at $5.01, Grace Kennedy 
had 32,043 units changing hands at $3.65, Guardian Holdings had 8,548 units changing hands at $13.10, National Commercial Bank traded 43,838 shares at $1.65. Sagicor Financial Corporation with 128,408 shares changing hands for a value of $770,448 closed unchanged at $6, Scotiabank traded 1,111 units and closed at $62.31, Scotia Investments with 11,230 units changing hands $1.50 and Trinidad Cement closed at $2.90 with 3,000 shares trading.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 3 stocks with the bid higher than their last selling prices and 2 stocks with offers that were lower.
Juniors jump to new high on Monday.
The JSE junior market gained 34.79 points on Monday, to close at 977.18, for another new record high, beating the previous one reached on the last day of July, this year. The index gained over 16 percent since dipping to a recent low point of 841.74 points on July 27. Technical indicator shows resistance at around the 1,000 points level, if that is cleared decisively, then the juniors could be heading to 1,200 points before a major resistance come into play.
The juniors have now gained 42 percent for the year to date and 60 percent since the lows of the junior market last year, nearly 50 percent better than the main market index gain, an indicator that the junior stocks are once more asserting their dominance over the main market which was the case for sometime until the rally started in summer last year. This is a situation that will bear some watching, with the main market is in consolidation mood.
In actual trading on Monday, 9 securities changed hands with 5 rising and 2 declining resulting in 824,803 units valued at $1,577,521. The strong movement was aided by a $3 rise in the price of Access Financial that jumped to $18.50 but with only 100 shares trading.
At the close, the junior market had 5 stocks having bids higher than their last selling prices, 2 with lower offers. 6 securities closed with no bids to buy, while 7 had no stocks being offered for sale.
Stocks trading are, Access Financial gained $3 on top of the $2.74 rise to close at a new 52 weeks and all-time high of $18.50 but with just 100 units, Blue Power traded 872 units with the price falling 10 cents to $12.25, Caribbean Producers gaining 5 cents, with 10,000 shares and close at $3.05 but closed with an offer to sell 201480 shares at $2.75. General Accident had 7,250 shares 
changing hands for a gain of 7 cents to end at $1.86, Knutsford Express had 1,000 shares trading, firm at $6, Lasco Distributors traded 15,000 shares to close at a new 52 weeks’ high of $1.80, up 9 cents, the stock closed with low supply to sell at $1.74 and $2.13. There are only 4 offers in the market amounting 70,000 units. Lasco Financial Services traded 192,075 units and gained 29 cents to close at $1.75, Lasco Manufacturing with 255,521 shares trading unchanged $1.64 at the close, the stock closed with multiple bids at $1.65 to buy 1,328,000 units and with only 10,000 units on offer at $2.50 and Medical Disposables ended with 343,055 units and lost 10 cents to close $2.15.
J$ lost value on Friday
Purchases by dealers of foreign currencies on Friday, resulted in the local currency losing value against the three main traded currencies. The market closed with dealers buying the equivalent of US$35,830,362 in contrast to US$31,985,057 on Thursday, while they sold the equivalent of US$29,735,446, previously US$33,915,183.
In US dollar trading , dealers bought US$30,913,429 compared to US$29,087,315 on Thursday. The buying rate for the US dollar fell 9 cents to $116.75 and US$27,672,147 was sold versus US$31,986,716 on Thursday, the selling 
rate rose 4 cents to $117.42. The Canadian dollar buying rate dropped 20 cents to $88.05 with dealers buying C$971,179 and selling C$828,924, at an average rate that increased 30 cents to $90.38. The rate for buying the British Pound rose 1 cent to $180.71 for the purchase of £2,606,061, while £859,643 was sold, at an average rate that was up 55 cents to $182.05. At the end of trading, it took J$128.23 to purchase the Euro, with a loss of $1.25 from Thursday’s rate, according to data from Bank of Jamaica, while dealers purchased the European common currency at J$125.72 for a decline of $1.20 from Thursday. Other currencies bought, amounted to the equivalent of US$150,763, while the equivalent of US$85,227 was sold.
Highs & Lows| The highest buying rate for the US dollar, fell 5 cents to $117.50, the lowest buying, the highest and lowest 
selling rates remained at $96.15, $123.21 and $96.15 respectively. The highest buying rate for the Canadian dollar fell 60 cents to $90. The lowest buying rate declined 83 cents to $71.59, the highest selling rate dropped 36 cents to $93 and the lowest selling rate rose 30 cents to $87. The highest buying rate for the British Pound, eased 30 cents to $183.30, the lowest buying rate fell 54 cents to $147.41, with the highest selling rate rising $2.87 to $190.03 and the lowest selling rate climbed $1.45 to $179.70.
Massy Holdings trade $11.5m TTSE
Trading in the overall market ended with 8 securities changing hands on Friday with 3 stocks gaining, 1 declining and 4 traded with the price unchanged. A total of only 249,833 shares traded, valued at $13,082,969, as Massy Holdings accounted for $11.5 million of the trade.
At the close of the market, the Composite Index fell 0.68 points to close at 1,154.92, the All T&T Index lost 1.34 points to 1,963.77 and the Cross Listed Index remained at 45.40.
Gains| In trading, Guardian Holdings had 8,240 units changing hands at $13.10, up 9 cents, National Flour closed with 5,500 shares trading for 6 cents higher at $2.06 and Unilever Caribbean with 2,000 units changing hands at a new 52 weeks high of $67 for a gain 24 cents.
Declines| Massy Holdings had 184,135 units valued at $11,619,159, changing hands at $63.10 but at $1.10 less than the prior trade.
Firm Trades| Clico Investment Fund stock closed at $22.50 with 37,225 shares, valued at $837,564, Flavorite Foods traded 2,989 units at $4.80, National Commercial Bank traded 4,097 shares at $1.65 and Scotiabank traded 5,647 units and closed at $62.31 with a value of $351,865.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator had 2 stocks with the bid higher than their last selling prices and 3 stocks with offers that were lower.
Big Jump in rising stocks on Friday
The Jamaica Stock Market closed on Friday with 15 stocks rising, 5 declining as 26 securities changed hands with 2,738,510 units trading, valued at $22,665,691, in all market segments.
At the close, the JSE Market Index gained 267.15 points to 98,470.74, the JSE All Jamaican Composite index rose 298.61 points to close at 109,002.77 and the JSE combined index added 674.11 points to end at 101,379.99.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator showed a reading of 10 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 6 with offers that were lower.
In trading, Cable and Wireless ended with 266,138 units changing hands at 43 cents, Caribbean Cement traded 75,396 shares to close at $7.45, 
Gleaner traded at $1.15 and gained 15 cents after 32,960 shares changed hands, Grace traded 7,830 shares unchanged at $64, Jamaica Broilers had 33,982 shares changing hands and 10 cents in closing at $5.70, National Commercial Bank had 456,187 shares trading while gaining 20 cents to end at $30. Sagicor Group ended trading with 22,661 units at $13, Scotia Group ended with 64,798 units trading with a loss of 41 cents at $23.66, Supreme Ventures with 102,651 shares traded at $3.30 for a decline of 25 cents and Jamaica Money Market Brokers 7.50% preference share closed with 166,600 shares trading at $6.02.
JSE makes decent gains Friday
The main market indices were also up, with the All Jamaica making a spirited run with 298.61 point to 109,002.77 and the JSE index gaining 
267.15 points to 98,470.74 and the combined index jumped 674.11 points to 101,379.99.
The main market had 6 stocks rising and 5 declining amounting to $1,846,800 units. overall there were 15 stocks rising in the overall market with a total of 31 securities trading.
Juniors market at all-time high
Access Financial gained big on Friday
The market ended with 7 securities trading with 741,698 units changing hands, valued at $2,204,755 and the prices of 4 stocks rising and 2 declining.
At the close, the junior market had 6 stocks having bids higher than their last selling prices, 2 with lower offers. 6 securities closed with no bids to buy, while 8 had no stocks being offered for sale.
Stocks trading are, Access Financial gained $2.74 to close at $15.50 but with a small volume of 360 units, AMG Packaging traded 1,191 units with the price rising 10 cents to
$3.60, Caribbean Cream had 3,000 shares trading, firm at $2.05, Caribbean Producers gaining 50 cents, with 1,000 shares. Derrimon Trading ended with 10,000 units gaining 7 cents to close at $2.15, General Accident had 380,372 shares changing hands for a gain of 3 cents to end at $1.79, Lasco Distributors traded 28,397 shares to close at $1.71, up 6 cents, the stock closed with low supply to sell at $1.74 and $2.13. There are only 4 offers in the market amounting 70,000 units. Lasco Financial Services traded 1,400 units and gained 3 cents to end at $1.55, Lasco Manufacturing with 29,390 shares trading, closed 4 cents higher at $1.64, for anew 52 weeks high and Epply 9.5 percent preference share traded 166,600 units at $6.02, for a 1 cents gain.
