Trading drops but prices rise

After two days of closure of the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange for the annual carnival celebration, trading activity dropped sharply on Wednesday, with the volume of stocks traded declining 94 percent with the value down 71 percent from Friday trades and resulted in 18 securities changing hands compared with 20 on Friday, with prices of 10 stocks rising, three declining and five remaining unchanged.
Investors traded 120,475 shares for $2,896,613 versus 1,959,830 stock units at $10,047,105 on Friday. An average of 6,693 units were traded at $160,923 against 97,992 shares at $502,355 on Friday. Trading month to date averages 57,462 shares at $518,933, down from 61,133 units at $544,813 on the previous day. The average trade for January amounts to 28,440 at $235,404.
The Composite Index increased 7.35 points to 1,331.98, the All T&T Index jumped 14.22 points to 1,993.36, the SME Index remained at 61.52 and the Cross-Listed Index ended unchanged at 87.38.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows four stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Agostini’s ended at $58.01 after  2,981 shares were traded, Angostura Holdings ended at $23.52 while exchanging 39,479 units, Ansa McAl rose 98 cents to $50 after trading 24 stocks. Ansa Merchant Bank ended at $45 in an exchange of 35 stock units, Calypso Macro Investment Fund rallied $1 in closing at $21.50 with the swapping of 54 units, First Citizens Group popped 55 cents to $50.65 in trading 5,917 stock units. FirstCaribbean International Bank gained 1 cent to close at $6.55 after an exchange of 9,304 stocks, GraceKennedy remained at $4.45 with 2,719 shares clearing the market, Guardian Holdings climbed 94 cents to $26 after an exchange of 249 stock units. L.J. Williams B share dipped 5 cents to $2.70, with 23,535 stocks crossing the market, Massy Holdings shed 5 cents in closing at $4.65 after 1,760 shares passed through the market, National Enterprises declined 1 cent to end at $3.89 with investors transferring 5,000 units. Republic Financial rallied $1 to $138, with 6,067 units crossing the exchange, Scotiabank increased 20 cents to $78.2 in switching ownership of 814 stocks, Trinidad & Tobago NGL popped 5 cents to $21.05 as investors exchanged 16,412 shares. Trinidad Cement increased 9 cents to $3.59 after a transfer of 920 stock units, Unilever Caribbean remained at $13.90 after investors exchanged 4,400 shares and West Indian Tobacco rose 35 cents to $19.90 in trading 805 stocks.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.