Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-16
THE STATE OF TRADE.
Bradstreet's.

DI CtGStl 81 p
The business situation gains rather than
loses in attractiVeDess as the spring sea-
son advances. While, of course, the very
favorable situation in cereals IS stun tne
handspring Of the Improvement manifest
ing itself in many sections Of the country,
there are other causes conblnS lhefeWlth
to make the outlook for business for the
current year a f1attering one. toiioWlhg
the rapid advances in the prices Of wheat
which apparently eliminated for the time
being early in the current week IN QUO
tation Tor cash wheat unequalled, Win
one single exception, and that only Tor a
very short period of time for twenty-five
years past, there come q lull ana reac-
ton from the abnormally high p!1ces.
caused by the squeeze in May delivery
which, however has left prices far above
quotations for at least ten Gays Dack-
Telegraphic and cable adVices- to Brtu-
streets only accentuate the ALREADY Weli-
known bullish nature of the immaculate
wheat situation, while, on the other mana,
owing to the generally admitted good crop
situation, particularly in this and other
countries, the outlook appears to favor
somewhat lower prices than those nov
ruling for next seasons yield, although
above the average of those ruling for the
past six years An analysis of the wheat
movement in this country and Canada
seems to bear out the correctness or
maximum estimates Of yield whIe de I
nitely discrediting government estimates
Special advices from Australia inns week
to Bradstreets indicate that for the llfst
time in some years there Wlll pc an eA-
AA
liza, estimates varying from 5GU9,VU0 70
6,C0l0 bushels Part of this has already
reached South Africa, and some IS report
ed on the way to the European continent
With the quieting down of interest IN
wheat there has come q partial shifting
of speculative interest to other grains,
particularly corn and oats and many
classes of provisions, with advances III
nearly all those lines A rather more con-
fident feeling seems to perVade the iron
trade, which is reflected in fractional adj
vances for leading makes of iron and
steel. Features of the week are very
heavy sales of pig iron at many markets.
but it is again claimed that stocks nave
begun to accumulate at some points as q
result Of continued enormous production,
which is placed at 1,00l,G9 tons per month
Perhaps one OF the most encouraging fea-
lures of the week, and one especially ac-
ccptabe because of the hitherto very de-
pressed conditions prevailing, is the re-
ported slight Improvement in inquiry and
in tone in the wool market at several CEN
ters While as yet unaccOmDanied by
much in the way Of new business, and to
q considerable extent confined to business
developed owing to stimulation produced
by army orders. the change is none the
less Il gratifying one. The prices sltua-
ton is still one of great strength, but par
ticularly so in food products, which are.
with few exceptions, notably coffee and
sugar higher on the week.
Business failures in the United States
show a slight gain for the week, number
ing 80 against 2f0 last week. go this
week year aga 2G5 in 1896, and 210 in 1888.