Year in review (1) Dec. 28, 1930

No Journal was published Sunday, Dec. 28, 1930. Starting on some year-in-review type stuff:

Market highs and lows:

Dow industrial average high of 294.07 Apr. 17; low 157.51 Dec. 16. Rail average high of 157.94 Mar. 29; low 91.65 Dec. 16. Utility average high of 108.62 Apr. 12; low 55.14 Dec. 16.

Market value of NYSE-listed stocks high of $76.1B Apr. 1; low $53.3B Nov. 30.

Dow bond average high of 97.70 Oct. 1; low 92.83 Dec. 17.

Production highs and lows:

Daily oil production high of 2.722M barrels Feb. 22; low 2.127M barrels Dec. 27, lowest since July 1926.

Steel production in March was yearly high of 4.300M tons; low 2.234M Nov. 30.

Rail freight loadings high of 989,504 cars Aug. 30; low 702,085 Nov. 29 (vs. 1929 high 1,203,139, low 798,682).

Commodity prices:

Dow average of 8 iron and steel products high of $49.88/ton Jan. 2; low of $44.29 Dec. 26.

Copper started year at 18 cents; low of 9.5 cents Oct. 24, lowest this century.

Cotton high price of 17.45 cents Jan. 2; low of 9.53 cents Dec. 16, lowest since Aug. 1915. July wheat sold at 62 3/4 cents Dec. 26, lowest since July 1896. Dec. corn sold at 61 7/8 cents Dec. 23, lowest since July 1923.

Farm price index declines to 103% on Nov. 15, lowest since Dec. 1915.

Assorted events:

Banking pool organized in Oct. 1929 to support stocks liquidated Feb. 24.

W. Green, AFL pres., estimated number of unemployed in first quarter at 3.7M; Nov. estimate 5.3M.

Bank of International Settlements opens May 12.

Hawley-Smoot tariff signed into law June 17.

Treasury surplus at end of fiscal year June 30 was $184M, public debt down $746M to $16.185B.

Major failures: J.A. Sisto, NYSE firm, Sept. 30; Prince & Whitely, NYSE firm, Oct. 9; Caldwell & Co., Southern investment house, Nov. 14; Bank of U.S. Dec. 11.