The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-28
BRADsTREET's WEEKLY REPORT.
Trade Never Better Than i'm the Holt
day Season just Closed.

NEW YORK. Dec. 27.-Bradstreets to-
morrow Will say:
Reports OF a mountaineering holiday
trade, Of seasonable quiet in leading whole
sale lines. Of exceptional activity at top
prices in iron and steel, of sustained &C
tivity IN other Industries. continued COM
plant OF car and motive power shortages
and general hardening Of speculative mar
kets for food products are the features Of
trade advices to Bradstreet's this week.
This year closes with a cheerfulness Of feel
ing never exceeded, even of late years. and
with expectation Of the new year as bright
as any that have gone before. Specially
good reports as TO holiday distribution come
from the East, central West, Northwest
and Southwest. Advices from some parts
of the South are tempered with pessism-
ism born of the unsa tisfactory yields Of
cotton in some sections. In the West Chi
cago sends particularly fine report and
St Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, st.
Joseph and Omaha send reports OF the best
holiday trade in years.
The year closes with a burst of activity
in iron and steel Pig iron sales for the
week have never been equaled at this sea-
son and lack Of adequate transport facill-
ties alone is a bar TO still greater vol
ume Of distribution. The outlook is for
production OF 10. 900 tons OF pig iron. OF
$1,000 900 tons Of ore and Of 100000 tons OF
steel In 1901. Prices have advanced OF late
and S1575 TO Sl6 is freely paid at Valley
furnaces for beSSemer deliveries In the
first quarter Of next year. In finished
prOduc the mills are crowded with bust
ness. Wire rods have advanced 81 per ton
In the coke trade supplies are piling up
near the ovens, but furnaces are shutting
down owing TO the lack of cars to move
one 20 the other.
Wheat apparently cut loose from corn
this week and displayed exceptional actiV-
ity and strength for a holiday week. The
go. Hrf.lrf hf In
respect. buying being specially good at St.
Louis. Reports of lack of snow over the
winter crop have been received, but re-
ports Of a smaller surplus in Argentina,
better cables light receipts West and
Northwest and smaller gains in the visible
supply have all been features. Export busi-
ness has rather been checked by the rise.
Corn has been dull, though steadied by
wheat, while oats have hrmed up a little.
Provisions have shown more strength and
cheese has been helped little.
Notwithstanding fOur-expOrts for the
week aggregate 4.29l,543 bushels, against
4.332. $50 last week and $685. 65 I'm this week
date aggregate IA. 92S 09O bushels, against
81, So, PA last season. Corn exports aggre-
gate 42i.336 bushels, against $50 81 last week
and 4,Ol1. Jos last year. From July TO date
corn exports are 2O,55O5l5 bushels, against
%, LIS. 344 last season.
New business in shoes and leather Is
naturally small, but shipments are eDor-
nous. Hides are strong and leather is also.
the outlook being for higher prices for
shoes.
Gray cOttons for future delivery are
strong in sympathy with cotton, which
has strengthened on good buying in face
OF d liberal crop movement. Wool is strong
and tends higher. Receipts OF wool at BOs-
ton for the year were 10 per cent. larger
than year ago. but stocks are no heavier
at the close than at the beginning. Sup
plies in the country are smaller also.
Wooden goods are firm, with mems wear
goods in excellent shape.
Business failures for the week number
219. against 262 last week, 213 in this week
last year and 30 in 1899.