Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-28
COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL
Oh OF
Dullness Amounting Almost to s~tagnatior
Pervades the Market.
WHEAT MAKES A FRACTIONAL GAIN
Corn and Oats, Rarely FIuctunte at
All and Close Absolutely I'M
changcd41 Provisions Al
most stationary.

CHICAGO, Feb. 21-Wheat, notwithstand-
ing the exceptional dizziness of trading,
closed firm at a AG2sc advance. crop dam
age reports and a good demand were Tea
lures of the opening strength. Corn, oats
and provisions were almost hfeless ana
closed at substantially yesterdays hnal
prices. Wheat opened at a little improve
ment over yesterdays closing figures; May,
74h@1Ac, an advance OF &c.
There was considerable bull news on hand
at the opening. Liverpool was hd higher
and consols n shade lower, although they
were previously so high that the decline
was not regarded seriously. The cold wave
fulfilled in its bitterness all the predictions
of the weather bureau and domestic receipts
were light. Chicago inspection, showing
only 10 carloads, compared with SO a year
ago, and Minneapolis and Duluth 2O cars
against 301 the week before and $3.50 the cor
responding day of last year. The weeks
clearances of wheat and -four from both
coasts were the smallest from the crop, the
total being only l,312 PIG bu. against 2,l2o,!0OO
bu. the week before. The Argentine ship
ments to Europe were only 100000 bu. com
pared with 1,252,O o bu. on the correspond
ing week of 1896. In addition, crop damaee
reports from t1e southwest were persist
case yesterday, sent a good many, buying
orders on the strength or them. The price
s sag sam nUs' Bus ;h1se '' was s"e extremely dull,
duller IN fact than at. any previous time
during the present dun season. The. price
of wheat usually declines when trading, is
light and today's market was no exception
to the rule, the price slowly ~retctilg from
4lsc to I37smIic.. Then 1t .commenced to
People. from various districts were here
today buying spring w1eat, for seed because
their winter wheat was dead. The orders
for spring seed came from twentY-four or
twenty-five scattered localities In this state:
Owing to the persistency of the claims of
widespread damage to wheat, July was
much more in demand than May. Near the
close of the session rumors of increasing
complications growing out of the Graeco-
Cretan troubles were added to the other
matters already referred to and the market
closed strong at nearly the best prices of
the day, May finally sold up to Hl2n1i9sc
and closed at 74l2c.
Corn was very dun. The price almost
stood still, ti%pGtuations being confined to a
1,1O5, OC0 bu. May opened unchanged, at
from 237s to 24c. sold to 24a24Bc and closed
steady at the opening price.
Oats held about steady with fluctuations
confined to n narrow range. DullnesS was
the only feature of the early market and
for want of any means of support prices
close the covering of a fair-sized short line
and the late strength of wheat created a
better feeling and put the mnrket on rs
1850, sold to 1GfFml6.bc recovered to lie and
closed at from 1875 to lie.
There was very little doing IN provisions,
ransaetion the fetliihg was firm: except
Immediately at the opening. Snort sellers
did not ar!ear inclined to attack the mar
ket ard packers we're not Offering much.
Fra from ms $50. G7ot to $Ms5fSS; Kay lara. 2lSc ioSer at
S.O7la. and Nav ribs, a shade higher at
from A.1Ih to S4:2O.
cars: corn, 800 cars; oats. go cars; hcgs,
Tie leading futures ranged as follows: