It is important to regularly know the price of the shares you own or want to buy or sell.
Share prices are available on the PNGX website (www.pngx.com.pg) and are published in the newspapers.
Share price reports published in the newspapers and by PNGX vary in content and format. Some tables may include all companies traded on the market and others may only include some companies.
It is also important to understanding the timing of the prices you are reading.
In newspapers, the prices will generally be as at the close of trading on the previous trading day. So, the prices in the Monday newspaper will be as at the close of trading on Friday.
The timing of prices published on websites can vary considerably. Prices on stock exchange websites are generally delayed behind the trading actually occurring on the market. Some are delayed by up to 20 minutes (for example, on the ASX website). Prices on the PNGX website are currently updated at the end of each day although more frequent prices will be coming soon. Other websites may publish data in “real-time”, that is, they are a fraction of a second behind the trading occurring on the market. These websites buy the price data from the stock exchange for the right to publish it in “real-time”.
The table below is an example of the form of newspaper layout. Prices quoted here may not reflect the current market price.
| STOCK | BID | OFFER | LAST SALE |
| BSP Financial Group (BSP) | 12.50 | 12.70 | 12.50 |
| Credit Corporation (CCP) | – | 1.55 | 1.60 |
| City Pharmacy Ltd. (CPL) | 0.95 | 1.00 | 0.95 |
| Santos Ltd. (STO) | 16.30 | – | 18.50 |
| Steamships (SST) | 35.55 | 35.50 | 35.46 |
- Stock – some tables include the company name while others may only include the code of the company. Companies are generally given a three-letter code by the stock exchange. The code generally represents the company name.
- Bid – Displays the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay for the shares. There may be other buyers bidding to buy shares at lower prices, however, their bid prices will not appear.
- Offer – Displays the lowest price a seller is offering to receive for their shares. There may be other sellers also offering to sell shares at higher prices, however, their offer prices will not appear. (The difference between the bid and offer is called the “spread”.)
- Last sale – Displays the last price at which bids and offers were matched resulting in a trade. Last sale prices change regularly, depending on the frequency of trades. The last price indicates the current market value of shares in a company. Please note that the last price could be a trade which has taken place on the same day, the day before, or a few weeks before.
Other information which may be contained in the share price tables could be:
- Volume – this is the number of shares traded for the day
- Value – this is the value of all shares traded for the day
- Change – This is generally the share price change for the day. That is, the change from the close of trading on the previous day. For example, a change of +1.05 would be a change of 1.05 kina from the close of trading on the previous day.
- 52 week high – this is the highest price for the shares in the previous 12 months.
- 52 week low – this is the lowest price for the shares in the previous 12 months.
- Market Cap – this is the market capitalization, or total value, of the company. It is calculated by multiplying the number of shares the company has issued by the value of the shares. For example, a company which has issued 100 million shares and is trading at 5.00 kina is valued at 500 million kina.
Some price tables will include additional information to guide investors. Your stockbroker will be able to explain that information if you ask them.
The information in this article is general in nature and you should take care to inform yourself about the specific characteristics of a particular investment before making a decision to invest in it. PNGX recommends discussing your investment objectives and needs with a stockbroker or qualified financial adviser. In PNG, you can either contact JMP Securities Limited or Kina Securities Limited.
By following these articles and reading more information available on the PNGX website (www.pngx.com.pg) you can build your wealth and invest in PNG.
