Trading climbed on Wednesday in Jamaica Stock Exchange Main Market activity, with 166 percent more shares changing hands valued 173 percent higher than Tuesday but the major market indices slipping even as nearly two times more stocks rose than fell.
At the close, the All Jamaican Composite Index fell by 614.80 points to 406,046.43, the Main Index shed 882.30 points to 370,507.49 and the JSE Financial Index lost 0.11 points to settle at 96.80.
Trading ended with 43 securities changing hands compared to 46 on Tuesday and closed with the prices of 17 stocks rising, nine declining and 17 remaining unchanged. The average PE Ratio of the market ended at 15.5 based on IC Insider.com forecast of 2020-21 earnings.
The market closed with an exchange of 30,185,670 shares for $152,750,024 compared to 11,345,597 units at $56,024,809 on Tuesday.
Wigton Windfarm led trading with 61 percent of total volume as 18.4 million shares changed hands followed by Sagicor Real Estate Fund with 11.6 percent or 3.5 million units of the day’s trade. Pulse Investments with 2.4 million units for 8 percent market share, Sagicor Select Financial Fund with 4.7 percent of the overall volume from trading in 1.4 million units and Barita Investments accounted for 3.7 percent of the day’s volume resulting from the trading of 1.1 million units.
Trading ended with an average of 701,992 units changing hands at $3,552,326 for each security, in comparison to an average of 246,643 shares at $1,217,931 on Tuesday. The average trade for the month to date ended at 246,626 units at $1,536,244 for each security, in contrast to 217,703 units at $1,408,192. Trading month to date compares adversely to August’s average of 497,442 units at $3,201,935.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading for the market shows five stocks ending with bids higher than their last selling prices and two with lower offers.
At the close of the market, Barita Investments climbed $8.92 to $68.92, in exchanging 1,102,321 shares, Caribbean Cement rose $1.98 in closing at $46.99 after trading 10,370 stock units, Eppley Caribbean Property Fund dropped $12 to end at $45, with 7,011 units changing hands. Jamaica Broilers Group rose $1 in closing at $26 after exchanging 2,400 units, Jamaica Stock Exchange gained 91 cents to close at $18.93, with 516 units traded, 
Key Insurance shed 79 cents to end at $7.60 in exchanging 21,120 stock units. Kingston Wharves gained 40 cents to finish at $50, with 61,064 shares passing through the market, Mayberry Jamaican Equities fell to $7.60, with a loss of 76 cents after exchanging 400 units, NCB Financial Group gained 30 cents to end at $134.30, with 24,555 stock units crossing the exchange. Palace Amusement advanced by $29 to $1,524 trading 35 units, PanJam Investment rose 98 cents to $70.98, with 1,408 units changing hands, Proven Investments gained 50 cents to settle at $38, in trading 61,098 shares. Pulse Investments ended at $5.05, with gains of 40 cents after exchanging 2,405,028 shares, Scotia Group fell $2 to $47, with investors transferring 23,968 stock units and Sygnus Credit Investments gained 30 cents ending at $17.60, after exchanging 56,530 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.
