Durrant Pate/Contributor

Liquidity in the domestic stock market improved last week as trading activity increased compared to the prior week. 

Total market volume rose 12.7 per cent week-on-week to 124.71 million units, while market value surged 237.9 per cent to J$1.30 billion. Sagicor Select Funds Manufacturing & Distribution led trading with 29.83 million units (23.13 per cent), followed by NCB Financial Group at 18.18 million units (14.10 per cent) and TransJamaican Highway with 14.29 million units (11.08 per cent). Market performance was marginally positive, as the JSE Combined Index gained 0.12 per cent week-on-week.

Of the 126 stocks that traded, 58 advanced, 54 declined, and 14 were unchanged. Gains were led by Sagicor Group Jamaica (+9.2 per cent), Seprod Group (+4.6 per cent), Carib Cement Company (+4.2 per cemt) and Scotia Group Jamaica (+3.0 per cent), while Barita Investments (-6.5 per cent) and Kingston Wharves (-9.2 per cent) tempered overall upside. Five of the eight remaining JSE indices advanced, with the JSE Manufacturing & Distribution Index rising 0.90%, buoyed by gains in Seprod and Scotia Group Jamaica.

The JSE Financial Index also rebounded (+0.36 per cent), reflecting appreciation in Sagicor Group and Scotia Jamaica stock prices. Scotia advanced followed the release of Q4 and full-year results, which showed a 3.5% increase in earnings and a 6.8% rise in revenues to J$67. 6 billion, driven by stronger net interest income and insurance earnings despite hurricane-related provisions.

The price appreciation was likely supported by the announced merger with Sagicor Life Inc., which will unify the group’s Caribbean operations under a single regional holding structure, enhancing scale, strategic coherence and long-term earnings visibility. In contrast, the JSE USD (-1.3%) recorded the steepest decline. 

The JSE USD index’s main contributors to its decline were TransJamaican USD ordinary shares (-3.3%) and PROVEN USD (-2.2 per cent), which came despite PROVEN’s announcement of Cornerstone Group as its strategic partner moving forward.