Evening star., 1932-02-03
TRADING ON CURB
/ EXCHANGE IS DULL
UnfaVorabIe News Acts as
Damper on Activities
of Operators.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch 10 The star.
NEW YORK, February 3.-A budget
of unfavorable domestic industrial
news chilled traders toward securities
today, with the result that fluctuations
of Curb Exchange stocks were virtually
meaningless.
With the exception of one block OF
SlOO shares of Electric Bond d Share.
the second transaction for that stock
TODAY. and two trades of 400 and l,l0O
shares of Creole Petroleum, dealings
were confined largely to l00-Share lots
Shortly after midday increased bios
lifted Electric Bond g. Share half
point Cities Service, however, was
virtually unchanged, which also was
true of Standard Oil of Indiana.
The sudden slump in commodities
late Tuesday, along with the weekly
car loading and steel operation reports,
combined to slow stock transactions in
initial dealings. Another influence was
the duIlness and irregularity that pre-
vailed in overseas markets.
Ford Motor. Ltd. for example, was
unchanged at midday despite London
cables telling Of Is per cent gain
in Belgian sales, maintenance o. volume
in France at increased profits and
fara~-r:H showing in Holland and
Sweden. Depressed conditions in Pin
land and reports of growing rivalry
within Germany somewhat offset Ford
gains elsewhere.
New Jersey Zinc opened up 1a4
points Just as St. Louis dispatches told
of prime metal touching a new low
price level there Great Atlantic &
Pacific Tea, which was off more than
points last week, opened down 3l2
points today.
Long Island Lighting. which has been
harbCring a small short interest for
some time, reached a new minimum
during the first hour. Taken as a group,
public utilities to date this year show
net declines, though professionals today
were predicting that the next major
market movement probably would be
led by power and light company shares.
Sweeping aside various proposals and
the present investigation Of the indus
try by the Federal Trade Commission.
professionals said utilities were one OF
the few groups that could attract fol-
lowers on the basis of sustained net
earnings.
Utilities Power g. Light preferred re-
gained its 6-point loss of the preceding
session Electric Bond g. Share Sc
preferred recovered half of its previous
days loss and American Gas & Electric
fiTmed.
TobaccoS were not especially active,
though in the cigar group Emil D. Klein
declined 2 points. The careful study
being made Of world gold movements
by bullion dealers was without effect on
the shares Of gold mining companies
Nor did the slight decline in silver, re
fleCting Chinese selling in London, af-
feet that division
Newmont Mining, Hudson Bay Min
ing, Hecla Mining and other copper
shares receded as the trade heard of
further price concessions in the red
metal The Curb today admitted to
trading the rights Of Roam Antelope
Copper.
The opening on the Curb Exchange
vaG quiet and lower Even the aviation
and firearms shares, which profess
sionals have tried to mark up in re-
cent sessions, settled down to snail's
pace in initial dealings.
Electric Bond e. Share at l034 was
unchanged. Cities Service at 55s was
off a fraction. Two blocks of Creole
Petroleum, a Standard Oil Of New Jer-
sey subsidiary one of 1000 and another
OF 1000 shares, appeared at 21s, un-
changed.