Trading picks up on Jamaica Stock Exchange

Trading picked up over the depressed post Hurricane Beryl activity on Thursday with the volume and value of stock changing hands and climbing above the measly volume and value passing through the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Wednesday, resulting in prices of 28 shares rising and 26 declining, with all three market suffering losses at the close.
At the close of trading on Friday, the JSE Combined Market Index dropped 1,331.89 points to 332,512.31, the All Jamaican Composite Index sank by 2,298.32 points to 357,397.41, the JSE Main Index dropped 1,249.94 points to  close at 319,256.54. The Junior Market Index shed 19.10 points to finish at 3,795.79 and the JSE USD Market Index lost 0.93 points to wrap-up trading at 234.55.
At the close of trading, 15,522,492 shares were exchanged in all three markets, up from 7,212,044 units on Thursday, with the value of stocks traded on the Junior and Main markets amounted to $27.85 million, well over the mere $18.27 million on the previous trading day and the JSE USD market closed with an exchange of 52,744 shares for US$1,293 compared to 6,543 units at US$244 on Thursday.
In Main Market activity, Transjamaican Highway led trading with 1.56 million shares followed by Wigton Windfarm with 378,147 stock units and Sagicor Select Financial Fund with just 250,108 units.
In Junior Market trading, EduFocal led trading with 8.57 million shares followed by Lasco Financial with 1.55 million units and iCreate with 630,506 stocks.
In the preference segment, 138 Student Living preference share rose $3 to $200.
The market’s PE ratio, the most popular measure used to value stocks, ended at 20.3 on 2023-24 earnings and 13.7 times those for 2024-25 at the close of trading. ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The PE ratio chart covers all ordinary shares on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, grouped by industry, allowing for easy comparisons within a sector and the overall market. The EPS & PE ratios are based on 2023 and 2024 actual or projected earnings, excluding major one off items.
Pertinent information is required to navigate numerous investment options successfully in the stock market. The ICInsider.com PE ratio chart and more detailed daily charts provide investors with regularly updated information to help decision-making.
The chart should be used in making rational decisions when investing in stocks close to the average for the sector, not going too far from it unless there are compelling reasons to do so. This approach helps to remove emotions from investment decisions and place them on fundamentals while at the same time not being too far from the majority of investors. Investors who buy when the price of a stock is close to the average will find that they are not inclined to overpay for a stock.
The net asset value of each company is reported as a guide for investors to quickly assess the value of stocks based on this measure. The chart also shows daily changes in stock prices and the percentage year to date price movement based on the last traded prices.
Dividends paid or payable and yields for each company are shown in the Main and Junior Markets’ daily report charts, along with the closing volume of the highest bid and the lowest offer for each company.