Trading jumped sharply at the close of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market on Wednesday, with the volume of shares trading rising 115 percent and the value surging 260 percent higher than on Tuesday, but the market indices eked out a modest rise as declining stocks edged those rising.
The All Jamaican Composite Index climbed 226.34 points to 439,509.52, the JSE Main Index squeezed out a gain of 3.56 points to end at 397,383.58 and the JSE Financial Index added 0.16 points to settle at 96.28.
Trading ended with 49 securities compared to 53 on Tuesday, with 19 rising, 20 declining and 10 ending unchanged.
The PE Ratio, a formula for computing appropriate stock values, averages 15.7. The PE ratio for the JSE Main and USD Market closing quotes are based on earnings forecasts by ICInsider.com for companies with financial years ending between the current year and August 2022.
Trading ended with 21,573,918 shares changing hands for $444,836,346 versus 10,040,879 units at $123,722,251 on Tuesday. Carreras led trading with 39.9 percent of total volume after exchanging 8.60 million shares followed by JMMB Group with 13.4 percent for 2.89 million units, PanJam Investment held 9.3 percent with 2.02 million units, Sagicor Select Financial Fund accounted for 7.8 percent, with 1.68 million units and Wisynco Group with 5 percent with a transfer of 1.09 million units.
Trading averages 440,284 units at $9,078,293, compared to 189,451 shares at $2,334,382 on Tuesday and month to date, an average of 273,987 units at $2,968,998, up from 260,759 units at $2,483,031 on Tuesday. October closed with an average of 251,350 units at $2,773,208.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 15 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close, Caribbean Cement popped $1 to close at $104 with 13,207 shares clearing the market, Caribbean Producers fell 75 cents to $8.75 after trading 979,439 stock units, GraceKennedy lost 30 cents to end at $98.70 in exchanging 293,347 stocks. Guardian Holdings declined $5 to finish at $525 with the swapping of 297 units, Jamaica Broilers advanced $1.30 to $30, with 15,077 stock units crossing the market, Jamaica Producers shed 60 cents to end at $21.60 in switching ownership of 450 units. 
JMMB Group fell $1.65 in closing at $38.80 with 2,893,439 shares crossing the exchange, Kingston Wharves rallied 50 cents to $47 in trading 2,100 stocks, Margaritaville advanced $1.41 to $17.84 in an exchange of 11,007 stock units. NCB Financial popped $2 to close at $118 in transferring 60,945 units, Palace Amusement dropped $24 to close at $1,000 after an exchange of 63 stocks, PanJam Investment gained 50 cents in closing at $70 after trading 2,015,921 shares. Proven Investments climbed 49 cents to $33.49 with 9,015 units changing hands, Sagicor Group popped $1.76 to end at $54.76 after 802,872 stock units crossed the market and Sygnus Credit Investments dipped 29 cents to $16.01 with a transfer of 144,549 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.