St. Paul daily globe., 1886-02-15
ONE WEEKS BUSINESS.
AOomparatively A Firm Closing, But There
Were Surprisingly Few Changes
in Values.
The Spectators in Wheat Appear to Reg
ulate Their Trades by Aid of the
Thermometer.
Germ and oats Appear Steady and
Firm, But Provisions lncl1ne
to Heaviness-
stocks at New York Continue Re-
mar,xabIy strong Despite Nu-
merous Bear Pointers.
special to the Globe.


merous Bear Pointers.
Special to the Globe.
CmcAGo. Feb. 1S.-The struggle tn!s
week between the bulls and bears conio
hardly be dignified by the name Oh nght'
and II would be saying altogether too much
IN call il \ battle. To most onlookers the
situation presents itself in very much ule
same aspect as a week ago. There is moth
ing 10 show that the crowd is not pretty
generally .slong." The exceptions are prob
ablv the same as last Saturday-Ream,
Cudahy. Linn and few other ''plungers.
But Ream. they say, is being rapidly con-
verted over to the short side of the market,
and will soon doubtless be as big bear as
anv of them. After daity range rarely
exceeding sc, wheat closes tonight
almost identically where it stopped
= week ago. 1t has been
hard week on commission men, brokers and
scalpers. The two former have had almost
no orders, and the range has been SO mar
row as to leave no margin OF pront for the
latter. Not few members, well up on tne
ladder of success, have wished they might
be disciplined for thirty days tnat they
might be forced TO stay away. The con-
they were situated where they could not
trade. and they might save some money.
To the bulls the export figures are lighted
up bv rays of hope. They figure out a SUD-
stantial increase in the outward movement
over last week. and affect TO believe the
visible will show larger decrease than ap-
Deared on last weeks statement. III these
two
FEATURES BLOSSOM OUT
into facts they will doubtless be mighty
enough to force the market up couple OF
cents or so. but there will be nothing 10 put
under wheat i'll the way of prop, and II
will assuredly fall back again to the point
from which it started, even if it does not 90
below it, Intelligent traders on the floor
acknowledge they have nothing more TO
hone for than a scalp. 1t may be large
or it may be a very small one. The size OF
it will depend altogether on few
DAYS. a very few days outside
circumstances, which are just a little more
inclined to be bullish than otherwise and on
the temper of the local crowd, which is
thing mo fellow can find out" beforehand.
All things considered it would be rather
more natural that they should buy wheat
Than to sell it. The Gabien interest is un-
derstood 10 be pretty well covered up,
though no one imagines the French ana
English spectators on this market have
gone very far ''long' even at
present present prices. al manner of
hog product has had some excellent friends
who have bought in right and left, making
during the bulk of the time a very strong
market. though tonight the May option
stands from lO@15c lower than week ago.
Bad country roads, which have materially
interfered with farmers deliveries, and wet
weather. which has prevented receipts from
inspecting up to contract grades, and the
running Of a February corn corner in New
York have. ali combined, had tendency TO
stiffen up the market here. At times the
buying has been very brisk.
MAY CORN
closes substantially 1c higher. Wheat
iiuctuated 5ec to-day and trading was light
Some war news that appeared in the Times
yesterday and reproduced in the Tribune
to-day was seized upon by the scalpers as a
means TO effect all end, that end being a
scalp. Reports of colder weather in the
Northwest were also received and worked
for what they were worth. Opposed 10
this bull talk were bear estimates
of only half million decrease
in the visible supply and dull and
depressing market cables. The yellow It's
sue put the visible supply at l, 900, 900 bush
els, but the best statisticians advance
prophecies without confidence. admitting
that they are at sea this week. and that they
are liable TO be considerably Off in their cal
culations. The claim is made that large
but unknown quantity of grain has
been drifting through the country
for the past ten days or two
weeks, of which no official report has been
made and which has been Systematically
covered up by railroads to hide their rate
cutting work, and just where and when it
will turn up are things that no feliow
can find out. assuming that these
mysterious, peripatetic stocks have
actual existence. The market
was very mOnotOnous all the forenoon. and
the closing was like the beginning, fiuf1ily
uncertain. Everybody seems to be waiting
on the weather. Gradual cooling off has a
rather dampening effect on the spirits of
the bulls, but no complaints are heard from
the agricultural regions.
THE CLOSING FIGURES
were duplicates of those current at the close
yesterday. May opened at So &c. and sales
We're at and between S455@s54c, closing
at S5@95Ic. June sold at S61I@S6Ac,
with S6$4c the first and SG1lc the last sale.
February closed at 791gc, March at 79%c
and April at S019c. Corn again displayed
held reasonably firm, though the
probability of a large increase in the
visible served to deter the bulls from too
free selling. Warren and Bangs were the
heavy buyers of May once more, their pur-
chaseS giving the market its main surface
strength. There was free selling at 41c,
and the price was lower at the close, with
an easier feeling. May opened at 409lc, sold
at 401sc, broke to 405s (040$%c and advanced
TO Ale. but weakened on larger offerings,
OccaSiOned by the break in New York, and
closed at 1920 bid. the same as Yesterday.
February sold at 37@371Ec, and closed at
375sc. A satisfactory degree of activity
was shown III oats, and the market was
steady.
PROVISIONS WERE NERVOUS,
but not especially active Spectators are
showing no little timidity at this stage, not
knowing which way the cat is going to jump,
and not caring to venture far in any direction
until they find out Pork dropped 100
1870, ribs 5@7Hc and lard 211.
All early break caused by a
mistake of about 400, 900 in the posting of
hogs packed for the season, but the market
became weak subsequently for reasons in
dependent of the error and closed soft
Mess pork for year delivery sold at S11.
For May the range was $11.271S@11.425S.
with $11.40 the opening and
$il.271l the closing. March closed
at $1l.10. April at $11.171k.
and June at $11.35. Lard for May sold at
S6.2219@ 25, and closed at S6.221% March
closed at 10; April at S6.15, and June at
S6.25. Short ribs for may opened at SIS. IS,
and sales were at S5.621@@5.75. closing at
500: March closed at $685., April at
S5.5713 and June at S5.7O.