Show ON WALL STREET New York Feb Speculation on the stock exchange today was Oiel th or in tone than for a long time past There was an acfive buying tnpittnenU In nvWcJh London was very prominent the purchases for the foreign account being chiefly of St Paufl cad iDuisniilte and NaslivlMfci but ReadIng and Ajtchison came in for a small measure of attention The moving influence of the market was the univerii belief that the issue of a 4 tper cent loan of 100000000 < 1 b > the government was an assured fact While thee was no official confinna ition of the comomn report as to the placing of the loan the street which always takes one side or another of a question adopted the theory and used it as an accomplished fact that the 3oan was 4o be and then reasoned out WJQ the United States treasury corers cor-ers would be filled with gold and I Tith foreign gold at that which would I De less likely to be withdrawn in the near future than if the Iran ws to betaken be-taken as a whole at home I The easier tone of the sterling ex chtinge market in the afternoon also tended to assist the appreciation in shares which began at the opening and but with few exceptions coif tin ued to the close During the last hoar of business when the announcements announce-ments were made of the cancellation of the greater part of the orders for gold for shipment for tomorrow made cfarly in the day speculation became absolutely touoyant and the market continued in good tone to the close I Iveaed sold up 3 Ph lost the gain but in closed 1 per cent above yesterdays closing Nearly everything on the list dealt in showed advances on the day There was considerable strength1 to J U o Q tJ the trading in bonds today The sales aggregated 895000 Government bonds easier for 4s State bonds quiet I Railroad bonds strong PetroleumEasier Pennsylvania Qill I sales none March option sales none closed offered at 1OOf Lima oil sales none Money on call easy at 12 < per cent last loan 2 closed 2 per cent Prime mercantile paper 36 per cent sterling exchange easier with actual business in bankers bills at 4S94S9 for demand and 4SS4SS for sixty days posted rates 4ES4 9 and 4S9 490 Commercial bills 4S7U Silver certificates 60 The total sales of stocks today were 212208 shares Including American Sugar Su-gar 33400 Burlington 7600 Chicago Gas 21200 General Electric 27200 Louisville NashviUe 14500 lfissourl Pacific 2 600 National Lead 4500 Northwestern 0000 Reading 3700 Rock Island 11700 St Paul 21400 Southern 2800 Southern preferred 4800 Western Union 7400 I = |