The Stock Market Crash—And After
ginning of July. Mr. Babson's statement, which
ordinarily would have made little impression,
coupled with the Hatry failure in London, which
obliged English holders of American stocks to sell
in order to protect their own commitments, directed
attention to the overextension of stock market
credits and the unsound banking condition. The
statement by Philip Snowden, British Chancellor of
the Exchequer, that the “orgy of speculation” in this
country had been responsible for the advance in the
rediscount rate of the Bank of England, whether it
was true or not, had a depressing effect on the
American market. Every fresh rumor sent the mar-
ket lower.
4
Meanwhile the unusual ease’ in the money market
was helped by the heavy accumulation of funds in
New York as the result of subscriptions to new capi-
tal issues. The call-money rate, which had run above
15 per cent during the height of the summer specu-
lation, fell to 6 per cent, then to 5 per cent, and later
to 414 per cent. Corporations piled in their large
loanable balances. The Reserve Banks continued
as active buyers of bankers’ acceptances, which en-
abled the member banks to reduce their indebtedness
to the Reserve to the lowest figures reached since
1927. Soon thereafter the volume of commercial
loans dropped off, releasing further credits to aid
liquidation in a falling market.
October was the first month to show greatly re-
duced totals of new stock issues floated. Foreigners
were ordering their holdings of stocks sold out.