The Jamaica Stock Exchange lost ground at the end of trading on Tuesday, with the main market major indices declining and the junior market Index moving higher with the volume of a number of stocks, jumping above regular trading levels. Grace Kennedy jumped to a new high of $120. The company announced a recommendation to be put to the stockholders at an extraordinary meeting, for a three-for-one stock split, to be effective on August 11.
A total of 35 securities changed hands on Monday, accounting for 22,588,186 units valued at $114,452,207, in all market segments. The junior market accounted for 7,943,352 shares, valued at $36,689,714 of the overall trades.
The price of 13 stocks in the overall market rose, 15 declined, including 5 stocks rising and 8 declining, from the junior market as 4 stocks in all markets hit new highs, four of which ended at new 52 weeks’ high.
The JSE Market Index dropped 1,266.89 points to end at 159,833.93. The all Jamaica Composite Index lost 1,416.85 points to close at 177,584.50 and the JSE combined index slipped 1,126.86 points, to close at 170,826.62.
IC bid-offer Indicator| At the end of trading, in the main and junior markets, the Investor’s Choice bid-offer indicator reading showed 11 stocks with bids higher than their last selling prices and 8 with lower offers.
At the end of market activities, Berger Paints traded just 1,734 shares with the price rising 30 cents, to end at $4.80, Cable & Wireless lost 2 cents, in closing at $1.38 after trading 201,389 units, Caribbean Cement fell 25 cents, in trading 16,386 shares and closed at $24. Carreras had 101,167 units trading, to close with a loss of 98 cents, at $65.02. The price of 1834 Investments traded at $1.23 with 6,840,665 units changing hands, compared to 10,000,000 shares on Monday, Grace Kennedy jumped $10 in trading 247,831 units, to close at a 52 weeks high of $120, after it traded as high as $120.50, Jamaica Broilers ended with 260,971 units changing hands at $14.50, after adding 75 cents. Jamaica Producers traded 223,976 shares to end 1 cent higher at a 52 weeks’ high of $44.01, but traded as high as $45, Jamaica Stock Exchange rose 80 cents trading 41,900 shares, to close at $20.80, JMMB Group traded 2,200 units as the price gained 1 cent to $10, Kingston Wharves ended trading 9,975 stock units at $12. National Commercial Bank traded 26,750 shares, to close with a loss of $1 at $42, Pan Jamaican Investment Trust traded 15,116 shares and ended at $26.50, Radio Jamaica closed trading with 6,485,157 shares down from 10,249,651 shares on Monday with the price falling 22 cents to end at $2, Sagicor Group ended with 15,200 shares changing hands with at $23. Sagicor Real Estate Fund gained 12 cents to close at $10.12 with 38,492 shares changing hands. Scotia Group slipped $1.49 to close at $31 as 13,594 units changed hands, Seprod traded 41,367 units, gained 30 cents to end at $16.80, Supreme Ventures traded 7,063 units to close at $4.50 and Proven Investments lost 1.49 US cents, to close at 18 US cents, while trading 54,081 shares.