The age-herald., 1900-11-24
WEEKLY REVIEW OF
 TRADE CONDITIONS Weather Has Been Depressing
 Factor in Several Lines GENERAL LEVEL IS BETTER A Notable Feature Was the Continued Strength In Iron and Steel at Bet
 ter Prices-Drygoods Respond
 to Advance In Raw Stuff.

New York. November 2S.-Bradstreet's tomorrow will say:
 Unsettled weather conditions have oper- ated to curtail retail and jobbing distribu- ton this week and imparted a quieter tone to several lines indirectly associated there with. Stock speculation too has been less rampant, and last weeks record of bank clearings has therefore not been equalled. There is, however, little or no apparent loss of basic strength, and indeed the gen. eral level of staple prices has been slight ly advanced. This latter movement Is most notable in the iron and steel trades, in raw cotton and to a lesser degree in the cereals and some hog products. In marine shipping a distinct improvement is report ed since the first week of November.
 While the volume of business in pig iron Is still large 1t does not apparently come up to that of last week the week previous. No disappointment, however, is felt at this, more particularly as quotations have again been marked up. Reports of preparations to resume come from many plants for some time idle and a sample instance Is the re- port that every furnace in the Chicago field will be at work next week. Reports from Pittsburg are that of the price demanded, 19.50, but because of it's being fixed by the pool at that rate Foundry pig is, however, active and tending higher What the mar
 
 activity, however, is made up for by the immense demand for finished products, which Is reported in excess of all records for this period. Plates are active as are structural and car material, wire, bars, sheets and, in fact, all classes of finished material not excepting rails, which are re- ported as being freely taken by Western railroads at the much abused S26 basis Other metals, notably copper, are strong. Tin Is again tending upward.
 rf., .1rwf1a <xP x<af.xa nlrAfo aud light receipts, actual and predicted, have been the basis of the advance of Bc shown in spot cotton this week. More speculative interest has been taken, but events proved that a bHllish circular from a heretofore rather bearish source had been already dis counted. Cotton growers have evidently been holding back, and some still talk of 10c as minimum, but receipts show a slight gain toward the close of the week. Colec- tionS south have certainly been interfered with somewhat by the holding movement.
 The advance in raw material has stiffened some makes of brown cottons, and prints and gingham quotations have also been marked up..
 Rather more strength has been exhibited by cereals. Cash wheat is slightly higher, partly on the belief that some real damage has been inflicted in Argentina, but mainly because the supply suitable for export Is really limited at the seaboard. Corn rec0pts have been of generally low grade, and the November option has been cornered at Chi cago Bad weather is looked for to inn prove both the volume and quality of re- ceipts. and in the meantime visible stocks are well down to a minimum.
 Wheat, including flour shipments for the week, aggregate 9,S27. .296 bushels against 4,- 062, ,O20 last week. 3.6Ss,677 in the correspond- ing week of 1899; 766 in 1898; g. 465, ,153 in 1897, and 3,753.696 in 1896 For July 1 to date this season wheat exports are 75.331 ,S70 bushels, against S5,6O5542 last season and S9. PA, ,0S3 in 1S9S-99.
 Corn exports for the week aggregate B. 235, ,568, against 3,976,914 last week; 4.149523 in this week year ago; 3.993, ,S46 in 1898; D. S69, ,7O5 in-1S97 and 2,92O,S02 in 1896.
 From July to date this season, corn ex- ports are 69,sS0.561 bushels against 92,170, ,4SS last season and 60. 1922, 762 in 1S9s-99
 Business failures in the United States this week are 215 against 227 last week. POP In this week year ago, 1S2 In 1888, 233 In 1897 and 296 In 1896.
 Canadian failures for the week number 71, against 25 last week, 3S In this week year ago, H In 1898, 34 in 1897 and 36 in 1896.