Trading surges on Junior Market to end 2023

Trading surged on the Junior Market of the Jamaica Stock Exchange on Friday, as the market closed out 2023 with a small decline for the second time since 2020, with a huge jump in the volume of stocks traded rising by 460 percent and the value jumping 479 percent more than Thursday with trading concluding with 46 securities changing hands compared with 45 on Thursday and ended with prices of 24 rising, 12 declining and 10 closing unchanged.
The market closed with an exchange of 58,141,717 stock units for $143,291,459 versus 10,388,698 units at $24,745,282 on Thursday.
Trading averaged 1,263,950 shares for $3,115,032 compared with 230,860 units at $549,895 on Thursday. Trading ended with the month to date averaging 466,866 units at $1,111,272 compared to 416,223 stocks at $983,962 on the previous day, well up on November that closed with an average of 262,280 units at $587,545.
Tropical Battery led trading with 21.15 million shares for 36.4 percent of the volume followed by Future Energy with 10.21 million stock units for 17.6 percent of the day’s trade, Regency Petroleum closed with 4.69 million units for 8.1 percent market share, EduFocal with 2.96 million units for 5.1 percent market share, Image Plus ended with 2.89 million units changing hands for 5 percent of stocks traded and Fosrich closed with 2.25 million units for 3.9 percent of the overall volume.
At the close, the Junior Market Index increased 65.03 points to lock up trading for 2023 at 3,848.33 with a loss of 3.5 percent for the year.
The Junior Market ended trading with an average PE Ratio of 14.1, based on last traded prices in conjunction with earnings projected by ICInsider.com for the financial years ending around August 2024.
Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator shows 10 stocks ended with bids higher than their last selling prices and one with a lower offer.
At the close, Blue Power dipped 28 cents to end at $2.66, with 20,016 shares crossing the market, Caribbean Cream increased 39 cents to $4.59 as investors exchanged 5,166 units, Caribbean Flavours climbed 34 cents and ended at a 52 weeks’ high of $1.92 as 124,565 shares passed through the market. Derrimon Trading sank 16 cents to close at $1.85 in an exchange of 1,540,620 stock units, Dolphin Cove popped $1 in closing at $18.10 with traders dealing in 48,385 shares, EduFocal fell 8 cents to $1.62 while exchanging 2,955,104 stocks. Fontana advanced 20 cents in closing at $10.20 with a transfer of 151,667 units, Fosrich rose 15 cents and ended at $2.60 with investors swapping 2,248,711 stock units, Future Energy gained 39 cents to end at $3.94 in an exchange of 10,214,342 shares. Image Plus rallied 11 cents to close at $2.05 with investors transferring 2,892,365 units, Indies Pharma popped 14 cents to close at $3.09 after an exchange of 853,375 stocks, Jamaican Teas advanced 21 cents to end at 52 weeks’ high of $2.80, with 1,789,229 stock units crossing the market. Jetcon Corporation rose 19 cents in closing at $1.09 with an exchange of 603,626 shares, Lasco Distributors declined 10 cents to close at $3.75 with 396,396 stock units clearing the market, Lasco Manufacturing shed 19 cents and ended at $4.31 with investors dealing in 9,827 units. Mailpac Group gained 16 cents to $2.29 after an exchange of 617,768 stocks, MFS Capital Partners rallied 24 cents to end at $2.24 with investors trading 409,204 units, ONE on ONE Educational increased 8 cents in closing at $1.10, with 908,832 shares changing hands. Paramount Trading climbed 17 cents and ended at $1.60 in trading 5,000 stock units, Regency Petroleum increased 22 cents to close at $2.48 after 4,687,683 stocks changed hands and Spur Tree Spices dropped 57 cents to close out the year at $2.76 after investors traded trading 1,707,764 shares.
Prices of securities trading are those for the last transaction of each stock unless otherwise stated.