The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-04
AN IMMENSE BUSINESS
DONE BY THE NEW YORK BULLS
AND BEARS.
Figures Showing the Sales of. Prominent
Stock During 1885-Brief Review Of
Trade in Wall Street-Compara-
tive Statement of Failures.

Neg YORK, Jan. 2.-The year which
closed Thursday will be long remembered in
Wall street During the first six months
there was a very duh market, with net
advance for the active stocks of less than
? POINTS on July l, as compared with the
opening quotations Jan. 90 From that
lime, however, until the latter part of
November there was persistent and almost
continuous upward movement, which re-
suited in net average advance for the most
nctive stocks of about % points. In some
instances the gains were considerably larger
A moderate reaction later in the year was
followed by very firm but somewhat less
active market, and the year closed with a
confident belief i'll Wall street that prices
higher than have been seen in 1885 will be
reached at no distant date. Some idea of
the great activity in the stock market of
late may be obtained from the statement
that the total sales for the past eleven weeks
have been equal to the business Of the first
tx months of the year. An analysis
of the years operations show that
Lackawanna and St Paul alone con-
tributed one-quarter of the years business,
and the following sixteen stocks each con-
tributed 1000, 900 shares or more-S6 per
cont of the years business: St Paul,
IL, 403,3 o7; Lackawanna, Il, 2S9, $40; Lake
Shore, S,999,252 Northwestern, 6,5S5, 095;
Union Pacific, 6,So7, lOl; Western Union,
Gill, 40 New York Central, 5,105, 766;
Pacific Mail, 3,60S, AT; Missouri, Kansas q
Texas, 1891, 81; Erie, 2,s700l6; Northern
Pacific preferred, 1851 1895; Louisville
& Nashville, 2,4f,'i9; Oregon Trans
continental, 2,2S4,9So Jersey Central,
1,6l4,7l7; Texas & Pacific, 1,os3, 5lj;
Reading, l,3l2,996 The average price
OF these sixteen stocks at the
beginning OF the year was Ash. the lowest
average price reached was 40j4, the highest
$50, and Thursday night the average price
was 62ss The smallest declines from the
highest prices have been made by the Van
derbilts, but the Northern Pacific, Oregon
Transcontinental, and Pacific Mail follow
closely behind The railway bond market
has sympathized with the improve
ment in tie price of shares. The
total sales for the year amounted
to about us, 100000. Erie second eonsols
and West Shore firsts and recently the guar
anteed As have been most conspicuous for
their activity. At the beginning of the
year West Shore frsts were selling at 80
Thursday the guarant sed as closed at an
equivalent of Sis Erie seconds at the open
ing of the year were selling at 515s and
Thursday evening closed at 9l$,
The report of the clearing house for the
year shows exchanges amounting TO SIS,
| l52, POI $50, against S3O,9S5, 81. 10 in
1854, and the balances for 1885
were 1856, Az, $50, against Sl,471, sol Al
for the preceding year. Money has ruled
easy throughout the year, with most Of the
call loans made at to 3 per cent. Never
before in the history of the banks have they
reported anything approaching the amount
OF Idle capital seeking temporary Investment
that has been shown in their weekly state
ments throughout the greater part of 1888.
| The total sales of all stocks dealt in on the
stock exchange for the year 1888 amounted
to 92, al $50 shares, against about 5000, oN
| shares during 1884