The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-25
INDIANAPOLIS MARKETS.
Trade Fairly Active-Improvement Noticea-
BILE in All Departments.

Trade Fairly acknowledgements Noticea-
BILE in All Departments
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb "a.
The volume of trade to-day was quite salts
factory, probably equaling that of any day of
the present year, country merchants seemingly
having taken advantage OF the fiue weather and
better condition of the country roads. Whole
sale merchants are selling low and complaining
somewhat of the smallness of margins In
commenting on this feature of trade the New
York Shipping List says:
with the best comme re .al paper readily ne
gotiable at 304 per cent. discount, it would be
strange indeed if the profits of trade were not
correspondlngly reduced, to say nothing of the
keen competition that now everywhere prevails,
and that's a most significant influence in elimi
mating the opportunities for obtaining profits
that few years ago were not considered alto
gether exceptional. The earning powerEf cap
ital has been reduced by the abundant supply of
money seeking employment all oyer the coun-
try and reimbursement of trade upon the basis
of this condition of affairs is necessary con-
sequence. Not only is the country older and
richer than it was few years ago, but its CONNER
cial Importance has increased, and the enterprise
and prosperity of its people, as well as the deve
opment Of its great industrial and natural re-
sources, has attracted the investment of foreign
capital and tended to equalize the profits of trade
operations more on parity with the rest of the
commercial world. Steam and electricity are rap.
idly binding the world more closely together In
it's commercial relations and the dsift of the cur
rent is steadily in the direction of equazing the
distribution of capital, merchandise and labor
The markets are now more directly controlled by
the worlds supply of any given commodity
rather than the existing stocks of any one coun-
try and locality 1t is question of how
much the world can produce and consume. and
and hereafter these are to be the controlling in
fuences in shaping the course of commercial af-
fairs. Every important transaction is known In
every important market on the same day that it
is completed; from ten to fifteen days is all that
is required to transport supplies from one CONT
uent to the other while from thirty to forty DAYS
is sufficient to bring to us the products of the
most distant countries"
Trade with dry goods men is improving and
prices on most lines of goods rule strong. The
improvement in the general dry goods trade
which began last July, began some time since to
favorably affect the manufacturers. There has
been a general advance in the price Of manufact-
ured goods, without any corresponding advance in
| the price of the raw material of manufacture This
| has been due to the unusually small amount of
| the former on hand owing to curtaed produc-
/ ton during the previous three years. and the
unusually large amount of the latter. The con-
| sequence has been that during the past six
| months many lines of manufacturing have been
more profitable than at any time since the col
| lapse of the 1579-1882 boom. The provision mar
| ket has become rather sluggish, the demand
having fallen off sharply. With this prices have
| weakened somewhat.
GRAIN.
| The local market was rather tame to-day
Dealers bid on Change with caution. Wheat
| was barely steady. Corn dull and lower both in
this and outside markets. Prices to-day ranged
| as follows: