The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-25
RAW Wool ADVANCING
s CEREALS on THE WHOLE DULL
AND UNINTERESTING.
COTTON STRONG ON IMPROVED DEMAND
Iron and Steel Ore Seasonaby Quiet After a
Year of UnexampIed Activity. Coke
Production is on an Enorm-
GUS Scale.

New York, Nov. y. -Bradstreet's to.
morrow will say:
A striking fllustration of the mlderly-
ing strength of the general business sit
uation is furnished this week by the
course of prices. Almost without ex-
ceptiom values of staples remaim hrnl
at previous quotations or manifest u stu
further pronounced tendency upward
This. TOO, has occurred in face OF a
rather smaller distribution in the ordin-
airy trade channels than has been noted
in recent weeks. So far as autumn and
winter trade is concerned the complaint
of unseasonably mild weather restrict
mig retail distribution Is repeated from
many cities, but rising superior TO this
and to the questionably smaller dlstfl-
hutton at first hands is the accentuated
strength of textiles, but particularly cot
ton goods, which reflect some added
strength of the raw product due TO small
en- receipts and better foreign adylces,
but in larger measure also portray the
influence of active demand coming on q
market exceptionally bare of stocks. a
further advance in print cloths, a feat
IRE this week, has brought the quotation
for standard grades mp TO three cents
Il point not touched for four years past
Raw wool is higher ON Tie week at al
markets ON active demand, shared Hn by
the manufactured material, for which 4
good fall demand has been experienced
and i'm which further price advances are
expected The American market Ion
wool is still claimed to be the cheapest
in the world. The dlIllness in heavy win
ter goods produced by the present warm
weather mas not as yet served to impair
confidence i'm wholesale lines.
Cereals remain on the whole dull and
mlinteresting, and price fluctuations are
within an exceptionally marrow range
with quotations ruling about what they
were one year ago.
Copper is strong on a perceptibly inn
proved demand, chiefly in electric lines
Coffee has advanced, partly on the
fear ofs interruption Of shipments by
quarantine restrictions and also because
of reduced receipts at Brazilian ports,
coupled with stronger European adj
vices.
Iron and steel are seasonably quiet
after year of uneXampled activity, bur
the price changes recorded serve TO I'M
part an appearance rather of irregularity
than of weakness, some makes OF steel,
particularly plates and sheets, being
lower. while Bessemer Pig Iron is higher
on the week Authorities in the trade
consider prospects Of maintenance OF
present conditions of price and demand
during 1900 as quite favorable. fea-
ture of the market is the presence OF
what might be termed supporting orders,
which will be Forthcoming at small re-
cessions. Despite prophecies of checked
export trade, large foreign order for
rails is reported placed this week.
Coke production is on an unexampled
scale and arrangements for next years
supplies are reported completed, but the
iron ore situation is yet to be settled,
though doubling of last season early
slgreed-on price is not unlikely. Not
withstanding a total estimated prodnc-
ton of 4S000,000 tons of Anthracite
coal this year, an increase of twelve
per cent on last year, demand has been
so good that stocks are at a minimum.
a good volume Of business is doing IN
hardware. more particularly ut Western
points and the spring outlook IS conf
IDENTIFY regarded.
Wheat. including -four shipments for
the week aggregate 3,6SS.6TI bushels
against 4.540.O07 bushels last week s.
S24. 726 bushels in the corresponding
week Of 1893, ). 1863, 1913 bushels in 1897.
3.753,G9S bushels in 1896 and 2,460,30G
bushels III 1895. Since July 1st, this