Camilo Thame, Business Reporter

Equity-based unit trust funds have made tremendous gains since mid-August, the turnaround point for the stock market for some analysts, when the unit prices for the five funds bottomed out.

On Wednesday, the four companies that offer unit trusts, with a mixed bag of fixed income securities and stocks, published prices which represented a 21 to 43 per cent gain since August 17 when the prices bottomed out at 16 to 29 per cent below the prices at the start of the year on January 4.

The price movement comes in line with the movement of activities on the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) where all three indices grew by 20 per cent or more since August 22 - the JSE Index grew by 21 per cent, JSE Select by 39 per cent and the All Jamaica Composite, 40 per cent.

Capital and Credit Fund Managers (CCFM) Income and Growth Fund, a portfolio comprising stock and fixed income securities, showed the highest appreciation of 43 per cent, while its Capital Growth Fund, which has a real estate component, grew by 30 per cent over the three and a half months.

Barita Investments' Capital Growth fund, which also has a real estate component did not fare as well, but still returned 21 per cent growth since mid-August.

Pan Caribbean Financial Services' Sigma Optima grew by 34 per cent.

Optima is PCFS' one remaining fund representing a mixed bag of investments after the company sold its 50 per cent stake in Westgate Shopping Centre in Montego Bay and an office located on Duke Street in Kingston to British Caribbean Insurance Company last December and subsequently converting the fund to a purely U.S. dollar fixed income fund, now called Sigma Liberty.

Dehring Bunting and Golding's Premium Growth Fund, which is made up of equity and government repos, grew by 31 per cent.

Wednesday's prices were also slightly higher, up one to seven per cent, than at the start of the year.

camilo.thame@gleanerjm.com