The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-02-18
FINANCIAL NEWS
AND COMMENT
Trading in stocks Falls Off
Some Pressure on
Specialties.
STANDARD ISSUES STEADY

Most Of the circumstances Of atmos.
phere and sentiment surrounding the
stock market during the greater part Of
yesterdays session were depressing
Gloomy weather was Il fitting environ.
ment for the dependency Of traders and
contributed somewhat to the trading dis.
position to sell the market because Of III
continued unrcsponsiveness to the highly
profitable trade factors which have beer
increasing corporate earnings available
for dividends. SO far as speculative cor
lecture In the field of external influence.
manifested any inclination II was &c
place a pcssilnistic construction % tile
latest diplomatic developments and to as.
sensitiveness to the consideration of ad'
verse possibilities in this direction.
ON the whole the Stock Exchange day
lent itself to the reasonable conclusion
that the market was acting In an ap'
propriatc and familiar fashion towart
the end of the winter season during a
period Of some uncertainty about The
trend of Influences which were likely &c
affect controlling attitudes. The feeling
of important financial interests remains
one of confidence In the merits Of stand
ard securities. which are regarded as dis
tinctly cheap. and II was noted that only
special descriptions exhibited any weak.
ness yesterday under selling pressure
and such pressure AZ appeared was
owing obviously to an initiative In pro.
fessional operations for lower prices.
The market did not act very much as
though there was acute apprehension thai
the various taixles of diplomatic con
troversy in which Washington Is involved
with one belligcrent or another would
result In a substantial alteration OF tn,
country's status Of neutrality toward th'
European war. There was a plentiful
supply OF trading argument. derived iron
these matters and from the reports o.
coming collapse In the pretensions o
Carranza toward the Government %
Mexico, that long stocks should be sol,
forthwith. but the chief feature OF thu
market throughout was it's dulness.
Transactions contracted materially II
volume. and although the course o
quoted values was slightly reactionar.
and the market had from time to tiin'
a heavy aspect there was plainly M
spontaneous and important liquidation
some supply OF stocks continued 4
| come from commission house sources
but the professional trading elemen
was responsible for the bulk OF the OF
ferings. Tn incentive TO make salei
was furnished by the persistent lacl
of any aggressive demand for stocks
although the position OF the marke
did not seem particularly weak, Judg
ing from the ease with which prices
rose on moderate short covering. stand
ard issues. the leading rails, the coppcr'
and United States steel exhibited 1
good deal Of s~teadiness and even firm
| ness. and the most pronounced demon
stration in prices occurred late In thu
day, when toward the close traders
sales forced sharp declines in "A few
spec!alties. notably Baldwin Locomo
tive. Marine preferred, Studebaker an
Maxwell Motors.
Attention was attracted TO the foreigr
exchange marke, by the progress OF thu
renewed weakness which German ex
change has been showing In the pas
week. At the days low level marks
were oia cents below the maximum o
recovery reached about ten days ag'
and there was IA suspicion In financia
circles tina the British seizures Of Ger
man stamped securities coming from
Holland had !nterfered with the Ger
man Governments purpose recently pro
mulgated to strengthen stabilize
German exchange.