Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-25
STOCKS IRREGULAR
IN ACTIVE MARKET
Recent Gains Bring Out
Profit Taking SaIes-PooIs
Push FaVoriteS.
BY CHARLES F. SPEARE.
pecial Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 25.-Those
who have good profits insstocks showed
disposition today to take them. This
represented sound reasoning in view
of the 10-point average gain which the
market had experienced in the previous
five sessions, with industrialS at the
same time rising an average OF Is
points.
This cashing-in process did not take
place until a large number of issues
had overtopped their former high
prices of the year and demonstrations
had occurred in number Of the low
and medium priced shares. The in
terruption to the movement which mas
progressed so rapidly, and marks it as
one of the swiftest and greatest of the
last year, should improve the general
status of the market, which was be-
coming technically unsound.
Trading Again Large.
The volume of trading was again of
great size, compared with markets
earlier in the year, but it did not reach
Tuesdays proportions. The tendency
of speculation just now is to broaden
out when prices are moving upward
and to contract with the opposite
trend
The public has materially enlarged its
speculative position, which will probably
be reflected for the third time this
month in an increase in brokers' loans
Thursday. With all of the volume and
advance, it is quite probable that the
short interest has been decidedly re-
duced but not by any means eliminated
as factor in future movements.
1t was the activities of the pools that
attracted most attention. These were
for the most part in the low priced
shares. Not in some time has so large
an individual sale occurred as that of
sc, 900 shares of Transamerica, which
! registered an opening gain of y points
and later in the forenoon showed net
advance of over points. In spite of its
rise recently over 100 per cent, Radio
Corporation was bid up nearly point
before midday, Montgomery Ward rose
nearly points and, with Sears Roebuck
showing an equal gain, reflected the
changed attitude of Wall Street toward
this group of stocks.
Profit Taking.
The market, after a strong and active
opening, ran into a period of profit
taking, when prices declined substan-
TALLY from their highs. This selling
however, tapered of after the first half
hour and the advance was resumed
with most active issues recovering their
mOmentary losses.
Trade news was bullish, with both
car loadings and steel operations high
er. ADJUSTMENTS were highly irregular,
with group including Warner Bros,
Paramount-Publix and Fox Film re-
flecting an action on talkie patents.
Radio-Keith and Radio, however, were
strong, the latter touching a new peak
General Electric was another feature
at new maximum for the year.
Increased retail sales were reflected
in new top prices for Montgomery
Ward and Sears-Roebuck. During the
first half hour sales amounted to 700,-
600 shares, compared with 100000 on
Tuesday. Call money renewed I'M
changed at ~ per cent.
The rails were quiet and some of
them, such as New York Central and
Pennsylvania, were lower, but the rest
were firm. Steel stocks, after initial