DULL FIRST QUARTER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 80, 5 April 1939, Page 8

DULL FIRST QUARTER.

SHARE PRICES ERRATIC.

CONDITION'S IX CHRISTCHURCH.

After three months' Stock Exchange trading, conditions are very little chansed from the depressing dullness that marked the opotliiiu r calls of the year fwrites the Clirixtfhurcli "St.ir-Sun"l. The ho)><-s that many investors then had of mo:-e I buoyant business in domestic industrial comtiany shares to cuuntcr-balance tlie smaller WcU] () f ovf'i'sea investment have not materialised; and the import reslri' , - tions, while* l)r>uefitinjj a few local issues. hnve. left the market hs a whole most uncertain. The number of sales recorded in riiistcliurch is significiint evidence of the deinessin:; trend of markets throughout the countiy. l-'very quarter last year revealed successively poorer totals." the three months ended December heinp the lowest. The first quarter of 103 P has fallen wpjj below even those totals, as the follpwing comparative table shows: — .Mjireli Pec. March ( J'-. <)r., C}r. W>S. in.')B. fi!i:{«.t. « t iGnvt. dobs 4S.a«r. 3O.'»!><> 24.150 • •oiniHiny ,lebs. ~ ,-,.!> Ki liHy J.7UO Local body debs. 2.SSO 4.<Mtft 3,fi00 Total debs. .. 57.158 K<i.7»4o 20.450 Sluires. Hlinres. Shares. «»«l»-« ia,«ll> 1,-|,7U« 6.!*4fl Insurance 2..Tut 1.<15.-| 3.100 lAian and agency . 6,?5,H2 "J.seu 1 r>7^ Shipning .-,11 __ •\l"»t 5.215 1.802 2.525 •; :| s 1,050 7tm 750 Voelli-n ........ (ion 1,250 2 07,"i ,- "» l n>B2s 2.2r.0 5.1711 Hvcwerius 7.5211 11.4114 7.41S Miscellanoous ~. 101.831 i;2.27fl -10,872 Mining 1M.0T5 34,400 20.200 Total shares .. 2;;.».523 134.732 f)0,f,23 Most striking of these figures are the much lower totals for hanking, miscellaneous and mining shares, and although substantial business must have been done that has never been officially reported, the totals are well below normal size.