The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-12-23
BULLS kkO BEARS.
Sharp ReCoveries Distinguished
SHIRT Session.
Shorts Covered for Holidays and Lifted
Prices Gui Of The Slough
CspeclaI 10 tho NeWs)


Wall Street. Dec. 23.--Stocks opened
this morning with one OF those whoops
that have punctuated the recent dee
cline and which primarily Indicated a
demaSd by the short interest to cover
before the Christmas holiday.
Sugar. which was down below 10
yesterday rallied To us at The close
and opened at 49,
American Tobacco, which Went Deio"
81 yesterday and was around ~ az tnr
close. opened two points up ana il"Nc
nearl 80 before the end of the session.
The Changers We're all up three points
ither at the opening or Shortly thtt-
after and although big specul3liNt
stocks, like Sugar showed a tendency
{, fan away slightly after the hedIy
covering was done. the majority ol lho
groups closed at their highest hSureS
for the day
Little attention was paid 10 the bank
etatement on 10 antiCipatiOns OF NJ. Inc
scramble OF he shorts presented an
other wild scene in the board room com
parable only 10 the days Of crazy llquld-
alton that have distinguished the op-
erauOns Of the past three weeks. lhe
bank statement was generally cohceued
10 be- "a good one. In fact. nobody couid
have expected better. But except Tor
a little stiffening from the prices ~
which the leading issues had sold OF
there was no eNcitel call for stocks IN
the last half hour
The scramble before the announce =
ment of the statement had absorbed all
the current orders OF any amount ana
there were few new contracts made on
eth erside in the latter part OF the
short session. However, there was none
of the unsettled feeling that has mark
ed the close OF every day session loi
weeks past.
The week that closes today shows
still further losses in stock prices. rms
Is the third week in the record furnished
the News that shows such losses The
downfall since around the 4th of Deem
her has been persistent and panicky.
1t has not been accompanied by reac-
tions worth speaking OF or thar lasted
more than a day or two. The average
decline FOR three weeks at the lowest
point which was struck yesterday mas
amounted 10 about 20 points In rs lead
ing shares, taken os aabasis ot esti-
mate I'm certain stocks like Sugar and
American Tobacco the decline has
amounted 20 40 or so points. The panic
has demoraized big interests and
heavy margins as wei las the little fel-
lows. Indeed the three. five, or even
Aen-paiHE Emarginel- -1raders- -ASere
knocked out early i'm the game have
reason to be thankful If they could not
support their stocks with new margin.
Prices reached their lowest yesterday
i'm most OF the issues. although a num-
Der notably the Steel stocks. touched
their low prices earlier in the week ana
are now looking substantial somewhat
above the rock bottom. They held well
to during yesterdays additional slump
in Sugar and the Changers.
The following table OF comparative
prices Of stocks as they stand today
ana one week ago is on the whole some
what better showing than would have
been the case N the record had been
-ff4atle aff ttt itftr tosr.trf business vester-
day evening. But as yet IL still fails
20 show a turn I'm the tide The differ
ences remain on the losing side: