The age-herald., 1902-04-03
OBSCURE STOCKS
 ARE TRADED IN U. s. Leather Led the List Fol-
 lowed by Copper. BONDS ALL UNCHANGED Price Movements of Any Consequence Are Almost Invariably Among
 the Less Known Stocks
 Without Explanation.

New York, April 2-The naming of the most active stocks in todays market IS In itself an Illuminating commentary on The character of the market. Ohlteo States leather led the list followed at considerable interval by Amalgamateu copper The dealings in Colorado tuel Tell to insignificant proportions In compari- son with the recent trading Sugar was well up in the list of active stocks. oI the prominent railroads only St. Paul and Louisville and Nashville showed notable degree of activity and the fiuctu- ations did not reach as much as point In either of them. The extreme range In United States steel stocks was 7s Tor the common and F for the preferred ana both closed shade under last nlght Tn spite of the extraordinary earnings re- ported for the year of the companys ex- istence and the official assurances given of the success of the plan for providing $50, ,OO0 900 additional capital. Many of the usually prominent stocks did not open at all before the middle of today's session and not a few will be found with no sales recorded. The price movements or any consequence are almost 1nVarlably among the less known stocks and the reasons advanced were very obscure. St. Paul and Omaha rose points on a few transactions and the preferred but Piere Marquette dropped six on only one sale. The Hooking Valley stocks were active and strong the common rising and the preferred 2. Runners were re- vived of a plan to retire the preferred stock at par The Wisconsin Central stocks and the Toledo, St. Louis and Western stocks were bought, apparently on the strength of their strategic position fin the competitive field. The New York dock stocks rose in an cratic manner on the supposed sudden realization of the valuable equities in the property.
 The movement In the leather stocks was on the assumption that the preferred stock and it's claims to deferred dividends were to be cleared up in some way by a bond issue. There were other move ments on less degree, but those will serve to illustrate the character of the market. The losses which were literally sprinkled through the list of stocks of a similar character, had no other explanation than that they had previously advanced on rumors which have not been confirmed. The weakness of Rock Island was asso- ciated with the announcement of it's ad- ditional stock issue, The decline in the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg stocks were doubtless due to the coal miners strike in it's territory. The movement in the general list was insignificant. It is true that prices were at one time ad- Vanced a fraction but no other cause was apparent than that they declined yesterday. The crop report by the gov ernment weather bureau had some in- fluence upon sentiment but the present grain markets are regarded as under the artificial influence of large speculative operations and are therefore distrusted as an index of actual conditions. The statistics of the copper trade and ru- mors of an approaching agreement about the output and price were given some credence. Future money market devel- opments are still awaited, the easing tendency of money here being counter balanced by the expectation of early gold exports The market closed dull and heavy on the taking of profits by room traders.
 There was a very good demand for bonds which was better distributed than of late. Total sales, par value, 2 00o. United States bonds were all unchanged on the last call.
 New York Stoek Market.
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