U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER DENIES TRADE BILL HURT STOCKS
  House Speaker Jim Wright dismissed
  charges that the trade bill before Congress contributed to the
  fall in stock prices on Wall Street.
      "That is utterly ridiculous," the Texas Democrat told
  reporters.
      Treasury Secretary James Baker and other administration
  officials over the weekend pointed to the pending legislation
  -- which they brand too protectionist -- as a key factor in the
  record-setting drop.
  

