Durrant Pate/Contributor

Activities on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) surged last week, with market volume almost quadrupling (394.4 per cent) in trading.

Total value traded was up only 25.9 per cent, which is lower than the prior week‘s 105.9 per cent increase, a sign that most trades were in lower-priced stocks. R.A. Williams (RAWIL), with a closing price of $0.51, emerged as the volume leader, trading 395.48 million units. 

RAWILL’s trade volumes accounted for 71.7 per cent of total market volume and coincide with news of its lower earnings of J$28.58 million (down 66.6 per cent) for its financial year ended April 2025. Wigton Energy and TransJamaican Highway (TJH) followed, trading 28.76 million and 28.27 million units, respectively, each contributing over 5.0 per cent to total market volume. 

Amid the rising trading activity, the local stock market, as measured by the JSE Combined Index, edged up by 0.15. Six out of the nine JSE indices advanced. 

The JSE Combined Index closed higher with 58 of the 126 actively traded securities advancing, 54 declining, and 14 remaining unchanged. The JSE USD Equities Index led the advancing indices (2.46%), driven largely by gains in two of its largest constituents by market capitalisation: A.S. Bryden & Sons Holdings (+12.5 per cent) and TJH (+1.8 per cent). 

On the flip side, the JSE select and financial indices were the week’s biggest laggards, both falling 1.12 per cent. The Select Index decline was weighed down by NCB Financial Group, down 1.8 per cent and GraceKennedy, which declined by 1.3 per cent.