The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-18
INCREASED EXPORTS HOLD
WHEAT MARKET STEADY.
BULLS CONTEND ALL DAY
WITH HOLIDAY DULLNESS.
Corn Fails to Hold Its Own and
Closes Lower - Scarcity of
Hogs Helps Provisions.

Chicago, Dec. 17-Ircreased export busi-
ness at the seaboard and small receipts
held wheat steady to-day In the face Of
duliness suggesting the holidays. May
wheat closed at precisely the final figures
of yesterday. May corn closed 1s4Ac
lower. Oats were of nc. Provisions were
firm. the May products closing from SC TO
l7i2c higher.
WHEAT.
Wheat opened firm In sympathy with a
similar feeling reported from Liverpool.
Some emphasis was added by small re-
ce!pts in the Northwest. The flrrnncss in
the foreign market was partly due to the
bad weather reports from Argentina, but
q cab!egram to a Chicago commission firm
from Rosario said thai the weather was
done to the wheat crop. At the same time
the big bull interest here manifested 4
tendency to dispose of holdings. This fact
holders. AS result OF the combination
OF circumstances a good deal Of long
wheat came out and an custer tone devel-
oped. May selling of to SlsISl&c after
opening a shade lower to snaie higher
at 81Asc to Sl1xc. The high point of the
day was reached shortly after the opening.
when May touched slAc. The market held
steady at the decline for a time. and dur
ing the latter part of the session better
tone was manifested on reports Of an
active export business Advices from the
sea board claimed Is boatloads had been
taken for shipment. with the greater part
of this wheat consigned to Lisbon. The
cash business also showed marked i'm
prOvement. and this helped the specula-
tive trading. The close was steady. with
May unchanged at Slas0Sl1sc. Ciearances
OF wheat ana flour were equal to 49, go
bu. Primary receipts were SC5SOO bu..
Duluth and Chicago reported receipts Of
400 cars. against GA cars last week and GIL
cars year ago.
Corn did not hold up as we'll as Of late.
Opening prices were trife higher on
fair commission-house demand, due to
firm cables and a good export business re-
ported yesterday, but there was not much
corn wanted. and under scattered local
selling by operators the market weak
ened. The weather continued fine and
there were some messages from the West,
mostly from Nebraska. which stated that
the roads were in excellent condition for
to sell their cash corn a little more freely.
After opening shade to kGSc higher
at 43Ac to $3.50, May sold between 43Ssc
and E7sc. closing at 4slzc. Local receipts
were LIS cars, with OF contract grade.
OATS.
After q steady opening oats eased OF in
sympathy with corn on selling by one or
TWO prominent OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1ne
larger part of trading was Of a scalping
nature and lacked any special features.
Local bears were not inclined to sell much
owing to the continued small receipts,
which would seem to indicate that the
crop had been overestimated. Prices
showed little change. May ranging be-
tween 36A4c and 36;s437c, after opening un-
changed to a shade higher at 36tl37c to
SIC. The close was at 36EQ36;sc. Local re-
ceipts were LIZ cars.
PROVISIONS.
Hogs were in much smaller supply than
expected. and this fact, coupled with an
advance of 6a1oc in their price. resulted
in a good deal of covering in provisions by
local shorts There was also a good de-
mand from English houses. Packers were
moderate sellers on the advance, but
prices were firm, May pork closing 15fp
l7lac higher at sll.TlaG11s0 Nav lard was
up &c at S6;51ls. while ribs were 7,1q1Oc
higher at g. 271aq630
Estimated receipts for tomorrow:
Wheat. 65 cars; corn. los cars; oats. 30
cars; hogs. 5000 head.
RANGE OF FUTURES