Durrant Pate/Contributor

The Jamaican Stock Exchange (JSE) edged downwards last week by 0.04% from a relatively muted trading week, as measured by the Combined Market Index.

Market breadth remained slightly negative with 61 of the 127 traded stocks declining, compared to 52 advancing, while 14 closed unchanged, just under 108.9 million units valued at J$524.73 million traded. This represents week-over-week declines of 52.76% and 47.94%, respectively. 

Trading activity was also less concentrated relative to the prior week, as the top three volume leaders accounted for 32.07% of total market volume, down notably from 59.6% previously, suggesting broader participation across the market. 

Market leader was TransJamaican Highway

Leading last week’s activity were TransJamaican Highway with 15.17 million units traded (12.15% of total market volume), followed by Jamaica Teas with 12.69 million units (10.17%) and Kintyre Holdings (JA) with 12.17 million units (9.75%). 

Performance across the remaining major indices was evenly split with four indices advancing and four declining during the week. The strongest performer was the JSE Cross Listed Index, which gained 3.28%, supported primarily by advances in Guardian Holdings (+4.8%) and Massy Holdings (+2.8%). 

Guardian Holdings’ upward movement followed its May 1 Q1 2026 dividend declaration of TT$0.29 per share, representing an increase from the TT$0.25 per share declared and paid in April 2026. Meanwhile, Massy’s share price appreciation came as the market appeared to have taken its cue from its May 8 dividend consideration announcement. 

This came despite the company reporting weaker bottom-line performance for the six months ended March 2026. Its 6-million net profit declined by 34.7% to TT$227.4 million, even as revenue expanded 7.4% year-over-year to TT$8.51Bn, driven by solid contributions across most operating segments. 

On the downside, the JSE Junior Market Index recorded the sharpest week-over-week decline, falling 2.33%. The downturn was largely driven by notable declines in Cargo Handlers (-16.9%), Derrimon Trading (-11.4%) and FosRich (-5.5%). 

In the absence of any material company-specific developments, some of these movements likely reflected the price volatility within the Junior Market.